The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, has dismissed claims by the state government that St. Mary’s Catholic Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, was warned ahead of the bandit attack that led to the abduction of hundreds of students and staff.
Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN Chairman and Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, described the claim as “propaganda” aimed at shifting responsibility. He insisted that no form of alert was issued to the school.
“We did not receive any circular, written or verbal, from any government office or individual. This is false and must be retracted or supported with evidence,” Bishop Yohanna said.
As the blame game continues Governor Umar Bago has ordered the closure of all schools across the state.
Bago announced the decision during a press briefing on the incident, explaining that the measure had become necessary to prevent further attacks and protect pupils until the government is confident that adequate security arrangements are in place.
He described the kidnapping as an avoidable tragedy but emphasised that the immediate priority is rescuing the children and preventing another incident.
“This unfortunate incident could have been avoided, but it has happened,” the governor said. “This is not the time for blame games, but for rescuing the children and ensuring such occurrences do not happen again.”
According to him, schools were already close to their scheduled Christmas break, but the government cannot risk keeping them open under the current security climate.
“The primary and secondary schools are supposed to begin their Christmas break in two weeks, but we cannot take any chances,” he noted. “This stakeholders’ meeting is to draw from your experiences before we shut down all schools—public and private—and to explain why this step is necessary.”
Bago added that Schools of Nursing and Midwifery in vulnerable areas would also suspend activities until after Christmas or possibly the New Year, by which time the government hopes to have strengthened security operations.
He assured residents that efforts are ongoing to rescue the abducted students and restore safety across the state.
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.
A source in another school within the northern senatorial district of Niger State had disclosed that no such circular was made available to hid own school, pleading to sight a copy.
“Sometime last year or prior, an incident took place and there was a discussion with private school proprietors. It was decided then that schools should be closed. And they were closed then. Is that what is being referred to as a circular more than a year after? It beats us,” a proprietor 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 said 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.
But no one, not even the state government officials, have made the circular or notice public. “Except it was selectively transmitted or circulated, in which case an external party, other than the state government should conduct the investigation,” a source pleaded.
But another source said that 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.
However CAN explained that the school had a history of taking swift action whenever security threats arose, noting that it immediately shut down in 2022 following similar rumours. He added that checks with the Education Secretary and the National Association of Private Schools confirmed that no warning preceded Friday’s attack.
A verification exercise conducted by CAN revealed that 303 students and 12 staff members were abducted during the incident. Among them were 88 students captured while attempting to flee, bringing the total number of kidnapped persons to 315. The school has a population of 629 students—430 in primary and 199 in secondary school.
Bishop Yohanna urged the public to remain calm and prayerful, assuring that CAN is collaborating with security agencies, community leaders, and government authorities to secure the safe return of the abducted victims.
Elsewhere in the north, the Taraba State Government has also ordered the immediate closure of boarding facilities in all public and private secondary schools, citing escalating security risks across northern Nigeria.
Other northern states may follow suit following recent attacks on boarding schools in Kebbi and Niger states, it was gathered.
Governor Agbu Kefas approved the temporary shift from boarding to day-school operations across the state.
In a statement, Commissioner for Information and Re-orientation Zainab Usman instructed school principals and proprietors to begin the deboarding process immediately and notify parents and guardians.
Usman acknowledged that the move may inconvenience families but emphasized that the safety of students remains the government’s top priority while security agencies step up interventions nationwide.
“This directive is a protective step taken in the best interest of every child in Taraba State,” she said.
Taraba now joins other northern states reviewing boarding-school operations amid a resurgence of attacks on educational institutions.
