The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, has confirmed that there was no communication from the abductors who kidnapped pupils and academics from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Native Authorities Space.
“To this point, we now have not had any contact with them. As I’m talking now, we’ve not had any name relating to the abductors,” Yohanna mentioned throughout an interview with Channels Tv on Friday.
The attack occurred within the early hours of 21 November, when gunmen stormed the varsity, reportedly taking pictures a safety guard and abducting pupils, college students, and academics. Preliminary reviews indicated that 215 pupils and 12 academics had been lacking.
Following a verification train involving safety operatives, neighborhood leaders, and diocesan officers, the whole variety of kidnapped individuals was revised to 315, comprising 303 pupils and 12 academics.
Fifty pupils have since escaped and reunited with their households, leaving 265 nonetheless unaccounted for.
Yohanna described the assailants’ makes an attempt to breach the convent, which had been unsuccessful.
“I feel the primary try was to see if they may break by way of the place the sisters live. That didn’t occur. They weren’t capable of break the place as a result of after they got here to the gate, they had been asking, ‘The place are the sisters dwelling?’ The gateman mentioned, ‘Nicely, they work right here, however they don’t stay right here.’ In order that they shot him after which pressured the gate open,” he mentioned.
The gunmen additionally tried to pressure gates separating the convent from the varsity earlier than coming into the dormitories and abducting college students.
“They shot into the air, and everybody was scared. So lots of them tried to flee, or many escaped into the bushes round. On the finish of the day, they had been capable of make their approach with a few of them, and we don’t know the precise variety of pupils, college students, and academics taken away,” Yohanna mentioned.
Responding to claims that the varsity had prior warning of an assault, the bishop mentioned: “Nicely, what I do know is that in 2021/2022, we had rumours that the varsity could be attacked. So what we did was to close down the varsity instantly. We bolstered the safety system there, relocated college students who had been to jot down their remaining exams to Kontagora, and constructed the safety fence. Since then, we now have not had something—no verbal warning, no written warning—till this incident occurred.”
Yohanna additionally confirmed ongoing communication with safety companies.
“The one I’ve been speaking with is the DSS in Kontagora, who has been calling me. A lot of the data we now have, particularly the small print, I’ve forwarded to him. The police on the DPO in Kontagora known as to say that the sisters are to go and make a press release, which we now have despatched them, and they’ll give the small print and the names of all these lacking,” he mentioned.
On the state of the dad and mom, he added: “After all, they’re traumatised and fearful. We’re praying and hoping that by the grace of God, their youngsters will probably be launched. Everyone seems to be traumatised.”
Yohanna burdened that, whereas his diocese has taken steps to enhance safety, the broader challenge of faculty security in Niger State and Nigeria stays a urgent concern.
