One of the schoolchildren rescued in Niger State, Florence Michael, has narrated how the kidnappers forced them to lie on a trampoline inside a thick bush near a river, warning them that any noise would attract beating and delay their return home.
Florence, one of the 100 pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area on November 21, spoke on Monday shortly after the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, officially handed the children over to the Niger State Government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ribadu was represented by Wing Commander Abdullahi Idi Hong.
According to Florence, the abductors constantly threatened them to maintain silence throughout their captivity.
“They told us if we make noise, they would beat us and we would not go back home,” she said.
“They gave us a trampoline to lie on and kept us in the bush near a river.”
She appealed to the government to intensify protection measures so that schoolchildren across the country can learn without fear.
Speaking during the handover, Ribadu disclosed that the joint rescue operation was coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces, and other security agencies.
He said the federal government had already rolled out immediate short-term protection strategies for schools in high-risk areas, while also partnering state governments, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to develop community-driven, long-term security solutions.
According to him, insecurity will not be allowed to trample on the right of any Nigerian child to education.
Receiving the children at the Government House, Minna, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago described the rescue as a huge relief to both parents and the state.
Meanwhile, the 100 children were reportedly dropped off by the kidnappers at a location between Lumma and Wawa towns in Borgu LGA around 7 pm on Sunday.
Security operatives recovered them from the area, after which they were transported from New Bussa through the Mokwa–Bida–Minna road to the state capital.
On November 21, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that terrorists in the early hours of Friday morning stormed St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting an unspecified number of students and teachers.
Multiple community sources who visited the school after the attack confirmed the invasion, describing it as a coordinated operation that lasted between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.
Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, the Head of Disaster and Relief for Agwara Local Government, also confirmed the incident, alongside Bello Gidi, media aide to the Chairman of Agwara Local Government.
Gidi said, “Yes it’s true that bandits have kidnapped students and teachers at St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State.”
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