AGWARA, Nigeria — More than 100 students are feared kidnapped after armed men suspected to be bandits raided St. Mary Primary and Secondary School, a Catholic mission institution in Papiri Ward, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, in the early hours of Friday, November 21, 2025.
The attackers stormed the school around 3:00 a.m., according to multiple community sources, overwhelming the area before forcing their way into the hostels.
The school, which has operated for over five decades and serves both day and boarding students, is well regarded across the Borgu Kingdom for its academic standards.
A resident of Papiri said the assailants, armed with sophisticated weapons, cordoned off the entire premises before entering the hostels.
“In their usual manner, they shot sporadically into the air to scare everybody away when they arrived,” the source said.
The gunmen reportedly marched the students into two waiting Mitsubishi Canter trucks and drove off into the forest.
The attack comes less than two weeks after gunmen ambushed the convoy of Jafaru Mohammed Ali, the federal lawmaker representing Agwara/Borgu, killing six soldiers in the same axis.
The region has witnessed persistent attacks by armed groups despite repeated security deployments.
As of Friday, November 21, 2025, neither the school management nor the Niger State Government had issued an official statement.
The number of abducted students and staff remains unconfirmed, with church officials saying records are still being compiled.
“Yes, it is true, but I am not in a position to give details. The church will issue an official statement later in the day,” a senior church official told Daily Trust.
The Niger State Police Command confirmed the attack in a statement released by its spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun.
“On 21st November 2025 at about 2:00 a.m., a report was received that some armed bandits invaded St. Mary’s Private (Catholic) Secondary School, Papiri, Agwara LGA, and abducted a yet-to-be-ascertained number of students from the school’s hostel,” he said.
Abiodun added that police tactical units, military personnel and other security agencies had been deployed and were already combing forests in search of the abducted students.
Commissioner of Police CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman urged residents to remain calm and support ongoing rescue efforts.
He said the incident would be fully investigated, adding that “necessary action” would be taken against the school management for violating a state directive that had ordered schools in the area to close due to escalating insecurity.
Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, head of disaster and relief in Agwara LGA, also confirmed the attack via telephone, stating that authorities were still working to determine the exact number of students and staff taken.
Friday’s mass abduction follows a worsening trend of school attacks across northern Nigeria.
On Monday, November 17, 2025, 25 students were kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
In response to mounting threats, over 50 schools in Kwara State were shut down on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
President Bola Tinubu has cancelled planned diplomatic trips to South Africa and Angola to coordinate the federal government’s response to the deteriorating security situation.
Authorities say rescue operations are ongoing.
