The number of pupils kidnapped from St Mary’s Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State has increased to 303, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has confirmed.
Gunmen had invaded the Catholic-run school in the early hours of Friday, initially believed to have taken 215 pupils and 12 teachers.
However, after a detailed verification of student records and calls to parents, the total number of abducted students was updated to 303, bringing the overall number of victims to 315, including teachers.
The Chairman of CAN in Niger State, Most Rev Bulus Yohanna, announced the revised figures in a statement issued by his media aide, Daniel Atori, on Saturday. He explained that the increase followed a final census to determine the exact number of missing children.
According to him, many parents assumed their children had escaped during the attack, only to later report them missing. “After leaving the school, we made calls and conducted a verification exercise… We discovered that 88 more students had been captured while trying to flee,” he said.
The Bishop further clarified that neither the school nor the National Association of Private Schools received any warning or directive from the government to shut down before the incident. “No circular or security alert was issued to us. Claims that the school ignored warnings are simply untrue,” he added.
He also dismissed rumours that school administrators or Reverend Sisters travelled to Abuja before the attack, describing such claims as attempts to shift blame.
St Mary’s School, owned by the Catholic Diocese, had an enrolment of 629 pupils, with 430 in the primary section and 199 in the secondary, at the time of the abduction.
Most Rev Yohanna urged the public to remain prayerful and assured that the Church is working with security agencies, government officials, and community leaders to secure the safe return of all abductees.
