By our reporter 21.11.2025
Claims by the Niger State government that it warned that schools in the north senatorial district remain closed due to heightened security alert has been dismissed by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora.
The Secretary to the Niger State government Abubakar Usman said in a statement that St Mary’s Catholic School Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, where unspecified large number of students and staff were taken by bandits Friday morning, was warned not to open.
But according to Bulus Yohanna, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Kontogora, there was no such warning to the school to shut down
“I was on a call with the governor when I saw the message,” he said. “We didn’t get any message. We don’t know how the SSA tried to send it. We didn’t receive anything.”
Yohanna added that the Diocese was still trying to compile accurate details of the attack, including the exact number of pupils and staff taken.
“For now, we have no fresh details. Attendance checks are ongoing,” he said.
Gunmen attacked the school in the early hours of Friday and took away an unconfirmed number of students and staff. Families and local authorities are still checking hostels and attendance lists to determine those missing.