The Niger State Government has launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the reopening of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Agwara, where gunmen kidnapped an unspecified number of pupils early Friday morning. The incident occurred despite a government directive ordering all boarding schools in the state’s northern senatorial district to remain closed due to heightened security threats.
Also, the military high command has opened a separate investigation into the conduct of soldiers assigned to Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State. The troops—comprising a Staff Sergeant, two Sergeants, two Corporals, and two Privates—allegedly vacated their duty post about 30 minutes before gunmen attacked the school, killing the vice principal and abducting 22 students.
The attack follows a similar raid on a government school in neighbouring Kebbi State earlier in the week, both occurring despite intelligence warnings from the Department of State Services (DSS) about plans by terrorist groups to target schools and other soft locations.
In a statement on Friday, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, confirmed the abduction and said the government had acted on “credible security alerts” indicating an increased threat level in parts of Niger North. He noted that the state had suspended all construction activities and ordered the closure of boarding schools in the affected zone as a precaution.
“Regrettably, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and staff to avoidable risk,” the SSG said.
Usman assured that security agencies had begun full-scale investigation and search-and-rescue operations, adding that the government remained in close contact with relevant security formations to ensure the safe return of the abducted students.
Security sources say investigators are exploring the possibility of sabotage by the school management. One source disclosed that the DSS had, as far back as August, shared intelligence suggesting that Ansaru/ISWAP militants were planning attacks on schools in the Borgu area, prompting the state government to order closures.
According to the source, St. Mary’s is owned by an Irish priest who reportedly complied with the advisory and relocated, raising questions about why the principal, identified as Felicia Diyah, allegedly reopened the school without notifying the proprietor. The source added that the principal was said to have travelled to Abuja on Thursday, just hours before the attack.
Governor Mohammed Nasir Idris has also lashed out at security agencies for what he called a “failure to act on credible intelligence.”
Governor Idris, who arrived at the school around 6:45 p.m. on Monday, was visibly angered as he accused unnamed security agencies of undermining the state’s security efforts despite receiving a clear warning from the Department of State Services (DSS).
“This is clear sabotage,” he said. “We got credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked. DSS further advised that we convene an emergency Security Council meeting, which we did. And the decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection for the students.”
According to the governor, he treated the warning seriously, recalling that a similar failure to act on intelligence contributed to the December 2020 abduction of more than 300 pupils in Kankara, Katsina State.
But despite the deployment of heavily armed personnel to guard the school overnight, Idris said the officers inexplicably withdrew shortly before dawn. “They spent time taking photographs with the students, only to abandon them 30 minutes before the attack,” he lamented.
A teacher at the school, corroborating the governor’s account, said the security operatives had even conducted emergency-response drills with students and staff on Sunday. “Sadly, for yet-to-be-determined reasons, they left the school before dawn. About 30 minutes after they withdrew, the kidnappers struck,” the teacher said.
In response, Governor Idris announced the formation of a special investigation panel to determine how the attack occurred despite the DSS warning and state intervention. The panel—also tasked with coordinating the safe return of the abducted students—will be headed by the DSS director in Kebbi State.
Authorities say they believe the students are alive and that ongoing efforts by both federal and state security agencies could lead to their rescue.
