The number of students and teachers taken from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwarra Local Government Area of Niger State has risen to 315, according to the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora.
The Christian Association of Nigeria chairman in the state, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora, Most Reverend Bulus Johanna, gave the new figure after a fresh verification on Saturday.
His media aide, Daniel Atori, said a final check showed that more students went missing than earlier recorded.
He said, “After we left the school at Papiri, we made more calls and carried out a final census. We found that 88 more students were also captured after they tried to escape.”
He added, “This now makes it 303 students and 12 teachers. The total number of abducted persons is 315. The school has 629 pupils and students.”
The church also denied claims that the school received a formal warning from the government to close its hostels before the attack.
Atori said, “We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought or a way to shift blame. In the past, when we heard rumours of threats, we shut down immediately. Why would we ignore an official warning if it came?”
He said the education secretary and the National Association of Private Schools also confirmed they did not receive any such notice.
The attack happened in the early hours of Friday when armed men invaded the school community and took away students and teachers.
Following the worsening situation, Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago has ordered all schools in the state to close.
He said, “All missionary, Islamic schools and Federal Government Colleges should be shut down until further notice. All tertiary institutions in Niger North and vulnerable areas in Niger East are to be closed as well.”
Bago noted that security agencies, including the Department of State Services and the police, were still conducting a headcount to confirm the exact number of abducted victims.
Other states have taken similar steps. In Taraba, Governor Agbu Kefas directed all public and private schools to suspend boarding activities.
The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Augustina Godwin, said the measure followed rising attacks on boarding schools.
She said, “The governor has directed that all schools operate as day schools for now.”
Yobe State has also ordered the closure of all boarding secondary schools after a security meeting chaired by Governor Mai Mala Buni.
A notice signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Bukar Aji Bukar, confirmed the immediate shutdown of all such schools until the security situation improves.
