By Editorial Staff 
MINNA | NOV 21, 2025: The Niger State Government has faulted the management of St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, for resuming academic activities without notifying the state government.
The government stated this while reacting to the kidnap of an unspecified number of schoolchildren by terrorists in the early hours of Friday, November 21, 2025.
The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, said the state had earlier received intelligence indicating that several parts of the Niger Senatorial District were under threat.
While noting that it received news of the kidnapping “with deep sadness”, the government blamed the management of St. Mary’s School for disobeying its warnings.
“We issued a clear directive suspending all construction activities and ordering the temporary closure of all boarding schools within the affected zone as a precautionary measure”, but “St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk.”
Edubase Nigeria earlier reported that terrorists on motorbikes and buses invaded the school between 1AM and 3AM, unchallenged, kidnapping an unspecified number of schoolchildren who were asleep.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has confirmed the abduction and called on its members to cooperate with security operatives to secure the safe release of the pupils.
Similarly, the Head of Disaster and Relief for Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, also confirmed the attack.
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