“I Told Governor We Didn’t Get Any Message” — Catholic Diocese Denies Receiving Security Alert Before St. Mary’s School Kidnapping In Niger State

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has denied receiving any security alert or closure directive from the Niger State Government before the abduction of pupils at St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.

Bulus Yohanna, speaking on behalf of the Diocese, told FIJ that the government’s public statement on Friday was the first time the Church became aware that such an instruction had been issued.

“I spoke with the governor,” Yohanna said. “I was on a call with him when I saw the message, and I told him we didn’t get any message. I don’t know how the SSA tried to send the message. We didn’t get it.”

He added that the Diocese was still gathering information about the incident. “For now we have no details yet. This is what we read. We haven’t gotten new information. How many pupils, how many teachers, we cannot say much now,” Yohanna said.

The remarks come after the Niger State Government issued a press release condemning the abduction. The statement, signed by Secretary to the State Governor Abubakar Usman, claimed that the government had previously ordered all boarding schools in parts of Niger North to close after “credible intelligence reports” indicated an increased threat in the area.

“The State Government had earlier issued a clear directive suspending all construction activities and ordering the temporary closure of all boarding schools within the affected zone as a precautionary measure,” the statement said.

The government said St. Mary’s School “proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government,” describing this as an action that “exposed pupils and staff to avoidable risk.” Security agencies have launched a search-and-rescue operation and are working to establish the total number of abducted persons.

The attack occurred in the early hours of Friday, with residents reporting that armed men arrived between 2 am and 3 am, taking an unconfirmed number of pupils and staff. Families and local authorities are still checking attendance lists and dormitories to confirm the exact number of missing children.

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