A teacher at St. Mary Catholic School in Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State, has recounted the terrifying events surrounding the abduction of over 300 pupils and 12 staff members by armed bandits on Friday, November 21, 2025.
Mrs. Martha Mathias, a classroom teacher at the school, described the attackers’ arrival in three cars and multiple motorcycles, which immediately triggered panic among both pupils and staff. She revealed that the bandits also seized cash belonging to teachers, which had been kept in their rooms following recent salary payments.
“It was around 1 a.m. on Friday when we were sleeping, and I heard children crying, ‘Please help us! Please help us!’” Mrs. Mathias recalled.
“I wanted to leave my room to check on the children, but my husband warned me that it was dangerous. He said, ‘Lie down, lie down; they are bandits. Don’t go out.’”
Bandits Target Teachers and Pupils
According to Mrs. Mathias, the attackers systematically gathered the children and interrogated them about the whereabouts of their parents and teachers.
“They asked the children, ‘Where are your parents?’ They said, ‘We don’t have parents here, they are at home.’ Then they asked about the teachers and were shown our rooms,” she explained.
The bandits proceeded to her colleague Metron’s room before coming to her own. Her husband was tied up and taken away, while Mrs. Mathias was later allowed to attend to her infant child. During the invasion, the attackers ransacked her room, scattering belongings and creating further chaos.
Her daughter was also threatened during the raid.
“She started running to me. They said, ‘Go back, go back.’ When she refused, they put a gun to her forehead. One of them finally said, ‘Let her go back,’ and that was when they left us,” she said.
Current Situation of Abducted Pupils and Staff
According to previous reports, 303 pupils and 12 staff members were abducted in the attack. Following immediate deployment of security forces, including police and military units, 50 pupils have reportedly escaped and reunited with their families, while the remaining children and staff members remain in captivity.
Authorities continue to coordinate search and rescue operations to secure the release of the remaining abductees.
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