The Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese and Proprietor of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, has confirmed the release of students and teachers abducted from the school in Niger State.
The bishop said Governor Umaru Bago personally contacted him to inform him of the development. He, however, did not disclose the exact number of those freed.
Yohanna explained that the released students and teachers were expected to arrive in Minna on Monday, where they would be formally received by the governor at the Government House.
The confirmation was conveyed in a brief statement issued by the bishop’s media aide, Dan Atori, who added that more details would be provided after their arrival in Minna.
On Sunday, the Federal Government announced that it had secured the release of 130 schoolchildren abducted from the Catholic school. Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare disclosed the development in a post on his official X handle, stating that no child remained in captivity.
The abduction occurred in the early hours of November 21, when gunmen stormed the school, kidnapping over 300 students, teachers and staff members. The attackers reportedly arrived on more than 60 motorcycles and in a van, shooting the school’s gatekeeper and leaving him seriously injured.
In the days following the attack, the Christian Association of Nigeria revealed that about 50 of the abducted children escaped from captivity. The exact number of those originally taken remains unclear, with CAN earlier putting the figure at 315.
Earlier, on December 7, the Federal Government had announced the release of 100 of the abducted pupils
