Over 250 Children Still Missing Two Weeks After Mass Kidnapping in Niger State, Nigeria

It has been two weeks since gunmen stormed St. Mary’s School, a Catholic boarding school in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area in Niger State, yet more than 250 students remain in captivity and parents are growing increasingly desperate for answers. On 21 November 2025, armed men invaded the school compound in the early hours, abducting dozens of pupils and staff. Over 300 students and 12 teachers were initially reported missing; while about 50 of those kidnapped managed to escape and have since been reunited with their families, the majority roughly 253 pupils and 12 teachers remain under the kidnappers’ control. Security forces, mobilized by the federal government under a declared national security emergency, say rescue operations are ongoing.

But multiple parent testimonies paint a different picture: frustration, trauma and a sense of abandonment. Many families say they have been left in the dark, receiving no credible updates for days. This attack is now viewed as one of the worst school kidnappings in Nigeria in recent years stirring painful memories of earlier mass abductions. Civil society organisations, religious bodies, and human rights groups are calling for urgent, transparent and sustained action. They demand the release of the remaining abducted children and staff, stronger protection for schools, and full accountability for the perpetrators. For now, families remain in limbo waiting, praying, and demanding results. Until the children are safely back home, the fear, grief, and uncertainty will echo across Niger State and beyond.