The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State has confirmed a dramatic breakthrough in the Papiri school abduction, announcing that 50 students kidnapped from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Agwara LGA, have successfully escaped their captors.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger State CAN chapter and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, said the children slipped out of captivity between Friday and Saturday and “quietly reunited with their families”.
Their silent return has sparked relief across the state, coming amid rising concern over the wave of school abductions in northern Nigeria. Authorities and community members are still awaiting full details on how the escape unfolded, but the development has been described as a “miracle” in local circles.
The incident forms part of the wider insecurity challenges in the region, where mass kidnappings of students have become distressingly frequent.
