No contact yet with Niger school kidnappers – Bishop

The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Bulus Yohanna, has provided a detailed account of the mass abduction of pupils and teachers at St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area, noting that so far, there has been no contact from the kidnappers.

“So far, we have not had any contact with them. As I’m speaking now, we’ve not had any call regarding the abductors,” Yohanna said during an interview with Channels Television on Friday.

The raid occurred in the early hours of November 21, between about 1 am and 3 am, when gunmen stormed the school in Papiri, reportedly shooting a security guard and abducting pupils, students, and teachers.

Initial reports said about 215 pupils and 12 teachers were missing after the attack.

But in the days that followed, as security operatives, community leaders, and diocesan officials carried out a verification and census exercise — including direct contact with parents — the numbers were revised.

The updated tally stood at 315 persons abducted: 303 students and 12 teachers.

The diocese later confirmed that 50 pupils escaped and reunited with their families.

In the interview, Yohanna described how the attackers initially attempted to break into the convent where the sisters reside but were unsuccessful.

“I think the first attempt was to see if they could break through where the sisters are living. That didn’t happen. They were not able to break the place because when they came to the gate, they were asking, ‘Where are the sisters living?’ The gateman said, ‘Well, they work here, but they don’t live here.’ So they shot him and then forced the gate open,” he said.

He added that the assailants also tried to force the gates separating the convent from the school, but were again unsuccessful.

“They tried to force the gates that separated the sisters’ convent and the school; they didn’t succeed. So eventually, they went to the hostel where we have the dormitory, where we have the children. They shot into the air, and everyone was scared.

“So many of them tried to escape, or many escaped into the bushes around. At the end of the day, they were able to make their way with some of them, and we don’t know the exact number of pupils, students, and teachers taken away,” he said.

Yohanna confirmed that a headcount on the morning after the attack revealed 303 pupils and students missing and 12 teachers unaccounted for, bringing the total number of abducted persons to 315.

“Now, as we started receiving calls from parents, we were able to get 50 out of the 315, including staff that could not be accounted for.

“Out of that number, we deducted them from the 315. We now have 265 as of now. That is the number that is missing,” he said.

He also addressed reports suggesting that the school had been forewarned of the attack.

“Well, what I do know is that in 2021/2022, we had rumours that the school would be attacked. So what we did was to shut down the school immediately. We reinforced the security system there, relocated students who were to write their final exams to Kontagora so that they would not miss out.

“The place was shut for five months while we built the security fence and employed more security men to mount the gate.

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“Now, when we were able to do that, we resumed as other schools were running. Since then, we have not had anything—no verbal warning, no written warning—until this incident happened,” he said.

The bishop said he was surprised by recent claims that prior intelligence of a potential attack had been received by the Niger State Government.

“This accusation came as a surprise because if we had a warning back then, we could close the school for mere rumour that the school would be attacked. I see no reason why we should have that kind of instruction and not obey it,” he said.

His rebuttal follows a statement by the Niger State Government that the school had operated “without notifying or seeking clearance,” despite prior intelligence on possible attacks.

Regarding cooperation from security agencies, Yohanna confirmed that he has been in communication with the DSS in Kontagora and that the sisters had submitted statements to the police at the local DPO’s office.

“The one I’ve been communicating with is the DSS in Kontagora, who has been calling me. Most of the information we have, especially the details, I’ve forwarded to him.

“The police at the DPO in Kontagora called to say that the sisters are to go and make a statement, which we have sent them, and they are going to give the details and the names of all those missing. We have all these details with them,” he said.

On the state of the parents of the abducted children, the bishop said, “Of course, they are traumatised and worried. We are praying and hoping that by the grace of God, their children will be released. Everyone is traumatised.”

Yohanna also reflected on the broader issue of school security in Nigeria. Referencing the Safe Schools Initiative launched after the Chibok abduction.

He said, “I can’t speak on state government schools. Only the schools we are aware of, the ones we own, and I told you what happened when we heard the rumour that something was going to happen.

“We shut the place and beefed up the security there. That is what we, on our own part, have done. We are listening to the Niger State governor. Officially, schools are closed in Niger State.”