A source close to the release process said the final handover occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on Sunday.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Security agencies on Sunday night concluded the evacuation of the last batch of schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, last month, paving the way for their reunion with families on Monday.
The 115 pupils, alongside their teachers, were handed over to operatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) after being moved from multiple camps where they had been held by their abductors.
A source with close knowledge of the release process said the final handover occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The security team had initially mobilised on Saturday to a designated handover point along the Lumma–Banana boundary but was unable to take custody of the children at the time because the captives were kept in different locations. The staggered release meant the operation stretched into Sunday evening.
Following the handover, the children were placed under heavy security escort and evacuated to Minna, the Niger State capital, where they are to be formally received by the state government before being reunited with their families.
Arrangements have been made for their reception at the Government House on Monday by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, although no official statement had been issued as of Sunday night.
The development effectively brings to a close one of the most traumatic mass abductions in the state in recent times. On 21 November 2025, armed bandits invaded the Papiri school community at about 2:00 a.m., operating for nearly three hours without resistance. During the raid, 303 students and 12 teachers were abducted.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, 50 students escaped within 24 hours and returned to their families, leaving 265 persons — 253 students and all 12 teachers — in captivity.
The scale of the abduction triggered an emergency security response by the Federal Government, including a 24-hour lockdown of the affected areas and expanded aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cancelled a scheduled international trip to personally supervise the rescue operations.
Governor Bago also suspended all official engagements and a planned brief holiday, ordering statewide prayers for the safe return of the abducted children. He further directed the closure of all schools in Niger State, as well as some federal institutions located in high-risk areas, to prevent further attacks.
As part of confidence-building efforts, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, led a federal delegation to Kontagora, where he met with the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and anxious parents of the abducted pupils. Ribadu assured them that the children were safe and would be rescued.
“God is with them and God is with us. Evil will never win. They are going to come back. I give you that assurance,” he said.
Two weeks ago, 100 of the abducted children were released and reunited with their families, shifting public attention to the fate of the remaining 215. With Sunday’s handover of the final 115 pupils and their teachers, security agencies appear to have completed the operation that began nearly one month ago.