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It was around 1:00 a.m. on Friday, the 21st of the month, when terror descended on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State. As pupils, students, and staff slept, heavily armed bandits stormed the compound. For Mrs. Martha Matthias, a primary school teacher, it was a night she thought would be her last.
The bandits gave her a single warning: “Raise an alarm and you die.”
With no security presence and no hope of rescue, Martha, her husband, their little child, and the pupils in her care were forced to comply.
Martha’s Account
“At about 1:00 a.m., while we were asleep in the hostel, I heard the schoolchildren crying for help,” she recounted. “I wanted to go out, but my husband stopped me, saying it must be bandits. The crying grew louder, and fear gripped everyone.”
The intruders gathered the pupils and asked for their parents. When the children explained that only teachers and staff lived within the school, some of them innocently led the bandits straight to the staff quarters, starting with the matron.
“When they got to my room, they ordered my husband out and tied his hands behind him. As they ransacked the room, my baby began to cry. They instructed me to step out, but my daughter ran after me. One of the bandits pointed a gun at her forehead and threatened to blow her head off.”
Despite the threat, the child continued screaming until one of the gunmen ordered Martha back inside to calm her, giving the bandits space to finish looting the house. They took money and valuables before dragging her tortured husband away.
“It was my closest brush with death,” she said. “I told God, ‘I commit my soul into your hands.’”
The attackers arrived with three vehicles and numerous motorbikes. Students and staff were packed into the cars, while others were sandwiched between armed men on motorcycles and taken to a waiting truck that ferried them deep into the forest.
“I thank God I am alive to tell this story,” Martha said.
Residents Flee as Fear Spreads
The people of Papiri and Agwara are now restless. With the victims still untraceable, some families have begun fleeing the community in fear of further attacks.
239 Children, 26 Staff Still in Captivity
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has released the full list of those still held by the bandits:
239 nursery and primary school pupils
14 secondary school students
12 staff members
In total, 265 people remain missing. No contact has been made by the abductors, and their exact location is unknown.
According to official records:
7 are in Nursery 1
32 in Nursery 2
62 in Primary 1
45 in Primary 2
32 in Primary 3
26 in Primary 4
19 in Primary 5
16 in the secondary section
The ages of the nursery pupils make the situation even more heartbreaking.
Fifty students had managed to escape during the initial movement into the forest, but the majority remain with the captors. With Agwara’s borders adjoining other states and neighbouring countries, there are fears the victims may have been moved far beyond Niger State.
A Failed First Attempt in 2022
The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora and CAN Chairman in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, recalled that bandits had attempted to attack the school in 2022, prompting an immediate shutdown.
He dismissed claims by the state government that the school ignored warnings to close, describing it as “propaganda and an attempt to shift blame.”
“We never received any circular,” he said. “We are law-abiding. When we heard rumours of threats in 2022, we shut the school immediately.”
Why the Area Attracts Bandits
The region between New Bussa, Agwara, Banana, and the Benin Republic is covered by the expansive Kainji National Park — a vast forest that has become a haven for armed groups. The presence of mineral resources has also drawn criminal elements.
Recently, a notorious kingpin named Mahmud was arrested in the area and flown to Abuja for profiling.
The Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Muhammad Haliru Dantoro Kitoro IV, had repeatedly warned that bandits had taken over the forest and urged urgent government intervention.
Governor Bago: Defend Yourselves
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has urged residents to defend themselves, declaring he will neither negotiate with bandits nor pay ransom.
“Paying ransom only turns kidnapping into business,” he said during a visit to recently attacked communities in Rijau and Magama LGAs.
“The situation has reached a point of war that requires collective resistance.”
He also banned mining activities in eight LGAs to curb banditry.
But with hundreds of children and adults in captivity, the question remains: Who will defend the victims now — and who will rescue them?
