Two months after, instructing and studying remain paused in Papiri, Niger State, with St. Mary’s Catholic College beneath lock.

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DAILY POST stories that that is additionally as its 230 college students and lecturers are nonetheless reeling from the trauma and shock of their abduction.

The November 21, 2025, assault was a devastating blow to the neighborhood, and the latest Kasuwan Daji bloodbath has solely exacerbated fears among the many individuals.

Recall that gunmen on Friday, November 21, 2025, gunmen stormed the college in broad daylight, abducting college students and lecturers.

With the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser, the scholars and their lecturers have been launched and handed over to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago with the primary batch of 100 on eighth and second of 130 on twenty second of December, 2025

Earlier than their launch,  the Federal Authorities’s delegation led by the NSA Mallam Nuhu Ribadu had visited Kontagora, some days after the kidnap the place he met parents, relations and authorities of St Mary Catholic College, Papiri, and warranted that “the 230 youngsters and lecturers are doing tremendous and would return again safely”, which went a great distance in calming the rising rigidity then.

Findings confirmed that the world’s safety state of affairs is dire, with no navy base and nicely outfitted police drive. The police allegedly lack personnel, operational automobiles, and adequate firearms, making it unattainable to deal with the bandits invading the areas.

This safety vacuum has emboldened the bandits, who proceed to terrorize the world. The convoluted navy chain of command, a relic of the world’s previous as a part of Kwara State, is alleged to hinder fast response to assaults.

Aside from these, findings additionally revealed an absence of navy bases in Agwara LGA and Borgu LGA North of Kainji Sport Reserve has additional compromised safety of the areas. The police are overstretched, with a mere 40 cellular police personnel guarding the village and college, who’re anticipated to defend the individuals in opposition to the big variety of bandits throughout assaults. Additionally, there’s a severe lack of co-ordination between safety businesses, notably with the navy.

Consequently, the individuals of Papiri reside in fixed worry.

“We worry for our kids’s lives and schooling,” says Musa Hassan, a distraught guardian.

The closure of St. Mary’s has left over 50 communities with out entry to high quality schooling, exacerbating Niger State’s already alarming out-of-school fee.

Parents are anxious that if the college stays closed, their youngsters could by no means return to high school, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and illiteracy.

The latest directive by Niger State authorities to maintain schools with terrorist threats shut has additional fueled hypothesis among the many folks that St. Mary’s College, being the one high quality academic establishment serving over 50 communities, would possibly face everlasting closure.

With hundreds of thousands of Nigerian youngsters already out of faculty, the closure of this faculty might additional dim the prospects of high quality schooling for the affected youngsters.

In response to UNICEF, Nigeria has 10.5 million youngsters aged 5-14 out of faculty, with the north having a internet attendance fee of 53%.

The state of affairs in Papiri, different components of the state and a few components of the nation grappling with safety challenges underscores the pressing want for improved safety and entry to schooling.

Presently, some schools within the state have resumed in areas like Chanchaga, Bosso, Munya, Suleja, Bida, Lapai, Agaie, and Paikoro on Monday, 12 January, 2026 attributable to improved safety, in keeping with a press release, issued by the state commissioner for Fundamental Schooling, Dr Asabe Mohammed.

In the meantime, schools within the Niger North Senatorial zone are nonetheless shut attributable to safety issues.

Through the assault and killing of 42 individuals by terrorists in Kasuwan Daji on third of January, President Tinubu instantly responded by directing the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Employees, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector-Basic of Police, and the Director-Basic of the Division of State Providers (DSS) to go after the perpetrators and guarantee justice is served, as nicely as rescue all of the kidnapped victims urgently.

In a press assertion by his Particular Adviser on Data and technique, Bayo Onanuga, he strongly condemned the assault on the Kasuwan Daji neighborhood and the kidnapping of girls and kids whereas assuring, “we should stand collectively as one individuals and confront these monsters in unison. United, we are able to and should defeat them, deny them any sanctuary. We should reclaim the peace and safety of those attacked communities”.

Additionally, Niger state Governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago after the ugly killings on 3 January, in a press release, described it as, “very disturbing and worrying to start out the 12 months with such unlucky incidents.”

Reflecting on 2025 in one other assertion by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, Governor Bago described the 12 months as one in all blended emotions for Niger State, marked by each achievements and devastating challenges.

Bago highlighted progress in infrastructure, schooling, agriculture, healthcare, financial system, and safety, however acknowledged safety issues, together with the Papiri faculty abduction and banditry.

“The state authorities is supporting safety operatives to remove these criminals,” he mentioned.

The Governor additionally talked about the state’s collaboration with the federal authorities to  practice forest guards to fight insurgency whereas appreciating President Tinubu and the workplace of the NSA for help given to the state.

In an effort to foster collaboration with the State Authorities in tackling insecurity, throughout a go to the Chief of Military Employees (COAS), Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu disclosed that further sources for coaching of the Nigerian Military can be supplied to help the state.

“We’ll conduct operational visits to Headquarters of 31 Artillery Brigade and 18 Brigade in Bida to evaluate operational gaps with a view to addressing them.

“Nigerian Military seems to be ahead to further cooperation and collaboration with the state authorities,” he acknowledged.

Lamenting the state of affairs, the proprietor of the college, and Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev Bulus Dsuwa Yohanna, in an interview mentioned, “The persistent insecurity in Papiri and surrounding areas is unacceptable. We urge the federal government to take concrete steps to make sure the protection of our kids and restore peace to our land.”

He, nonetheless, thanked the federal government, safety businesses and the media for the function they performed in securing the discharge of the victims.

Disturbed by assaults and continued closure of the college, Sister Felicia Gyang, Principal of St. Mary’s faculty appealed for presidency help within the space.

“We’re anxious by the extent of insecurity and the federal government’s directive to shut schools till additional discover.

“We attraction to the federal and state governments to make sure the youngsters aren’t denied schooling and for the protection of everybody,” she advised our correspondent.

Pleading for swift motion by each federal and state governments to place an finish to the assaults, parents and neighborhood leaders cited the latest slaughter of 42 individuals in Kasuwan Daji market, simply 15km from Papiri, as a chilling reminder of the world’s vulnerability.

They recalled that the terrorists invaded and burnt the market and village to the bottom in broad daylight, with out worry of any safety drive personnel.

“The individuals are packing their baggage and leaving, fearing additional assaults.

“If nothing is finished, all our kids can be disadvantaged of schooling, and many people will find yourself murdered by these terrorists,” Livinus Samaila, a guardian mentioned.

One other guardian, Markus Abuka, whose baby was kidnapped and rescued, mentioned: “Though we have been devastated, we resorted to prayers and trusted the promise made by the federal authorities by means of the NSA Malam Ribadu. However the latest assaults that claimed 42 lives in Kasuwa Daji are a painful reminder of the federal government’s accountability to guard us.

“Between Sunday, December 28 and Saturday third January, 2026, the date of the assault in Kasuwan Daji, these bandits roamed freely across the space each by day and night time with out being challenged by anybody.

“We urge the federal government to arrange a navy base and joint safety outpost to safeguard the lives of the individuals in Agwara LGA and neighbouring communities.”

A number of the college students who skilled the ordeal and are nonetheless reeling from the trauma, Florence Michael and Felicia Musa, prayed for the federal government to supply safety, saying, “We wish to proceed with our schooling. If we don’t proceed, we’ll all return to farms and be denied fundamental schooling.”

One other trainer, Mrs. Hannah Tevi, who was kidnapped alongside her son and her husband who was visiting them on the time, described their expertise in captivity as very traumatic and nonetheless stays contemporary of their reminiscences,

Because the issues proceed, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, in a press release earlier within the month, referred to as for stronger safety of civilian areas and schools following the sequence of assaults in Niger State.

Fall described the kidnapping of the college youngsters and lecturers as a “grave violation of human rights, together with the proper to life and the safety of civilians, notably, the kidnapping of girls and kids, undermining the proper to schooling.”

Equally, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former commissioner for Data, Tradition and Tourism in Niger State, in a press release referred to as for the quick institution of a navy base and deployment of marine police to Agwara native authorities to reduce terrorist assaults.

“The persistent and present state of affairs is past what the state authorities alone can deal with.

“River Niger has more and more develop into a safety blind spot that permits armed teams to evade land-based safety operations, and this vulnerability was obviously uncovered through the insecurity round Papiri neighborhood the place attackers leveraged riverine routes to perpetrate violence and retreat past the quick attain of typical safety forces,” Vatsa pressured.

Nevertheless, Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Safety, Barrister Maurice Magaji in a phone interview defined that complete efforts have been ongoing to make sure safety was in place in Agwara, Borgu and different troubled LGAs within the state.

In response to him, “the federal government wouldn’t wish to put the lives of its individuals in danger by speeding to open schools in troubled areas as a result of it has a accountability to guard lives and properties.

“Life comes earlier than schooling, allow us to be calm and as quickly as there may be calm inside a short while, the schools in these troubled areas can be opened in phases,” he advised DAILY POST.