Abducted St. Mary’s Pupils, Staff Reunited With Families – Official
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has confirmed that all children and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, have been rescued and reunited with their families.
The confirmation was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Rev. Bulus Yohanna, Catholic Diocese of Kontagora and proprietor of St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School.
Yohanna said a total of 230 persons, made up of 12 staff members, 14 students and 204 pupils, were verified to have been abducted during the attack and later rescued through the intervention of the Federal Government, the Niger State Government and security agencies.
He stated that all the rescued children had been reunited with their families, adding that there was no report indicating that any child remained missing.
According to him, immediately after the abduction on November 21, an initial headcount showed that 315 persons were unaccounted for.
He explained that on November 23, about 50 of those earlier listed as missing escaped and returned to their parents, reducing the number of unaccounted persons to 265.
“A joint verification exercise by the state government, security agencies and school authorities later revealed that not all parents were present during the exercise.
“A second and final verification conducted by the school authorities in collaboration with the Parents-Teachers Association established that an additional 35 persons had either not been abducted or had escaped earlier,” he said.
Yohanna added that out of the initial 315 persons reported missing, 85 were confirmed to have either escaped or not been abducted, bringing the verified number of abducted persons to 230.
He acknowledged that the discrepancies recorded during the initial headcount were due to the chaotic nature of the incident.
He noted that some pupils fled into nearby bushes and did not immediately return for the first headcount, while some parents were absent during the verification process.
Yohanna stressed that the discrepancies were not intended to mislead the public but were a result of the challenges associated with a fast-evolving and emotionally charged situation.
He expressed appreciation to the government and security agencies for their intervention, as well as to parents, the Christian community, the media and members of the public for their prayers, patience and support.
He also prayed for healing and restoration for all affected families.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
Related posts:
Rescued Ekiti Pupils, Teachers To Be Reunited With Families Soon
Niger Government Blames St. Mary’s School For Mass Abduction Of Pupils
Abuja Train Attack: Terrorists Ask Families Of Abducted To Prepare For Ransom
Kaduna Train Attack: Families Of Abducted Victims Warn NRC Against Resumption Of Services
