An eyewitness says some St. Mary’s Catholic School students escaped after the kidnappers’ snatched vehicle “broke down few meters away from the school,” forcing the abductors to look for another car.
An eyewitness from Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State, recounted that armed bandits who abducted students from St. Mary’s Catholic School fled with them in a snatched vehicle and motorcycles, but “the vehicle snatched and used to ferry the students out of the area broke down few meters away from the school,” giving some students a chance to escape while the kidnappers searched for another car.
Others also reportedly fled through the school fence, though the exact number of abducted pupils remains unclear.
The Niger State Government and police confirmed the attack, saying rescue operations were underway, while the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora condemned the kidnapping and urged calm as efforts continue to secure the victims’ safe return.