We’re yet to make contact with Niger school kidnappers – Bishop
The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Bulus Yohanna, has said the abductors of pupils and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Agwara Local Government Area of the state are yet to make contact with them. Yohanna, who spoke while featuring on […]
The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Bulus Yohanna, has said the abductors of pupils and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Agwara Local Government Area of the state are yet to make contact with them.
Yohanna, who spoke while featuring on Channels Television yesterday said, “So far, we have not had any contact with them. As I am speaking now, we have not had any call regarding the abductors.”
The abductors had raided the school on November 21 between about 1 am and 3am, abducting pupils and teachers.
Initial reports said about 215 pupils and 12 teachers were missing after the attack.
But in the days that followed, as security operatives, community leaders and diocesan officials carried out a verification and census exercise, including direct contact with parents, the numbers were revised.
The updated tally stood at 315 persons abducted, comprising 303 students and 12 teachers.
The diocese later confirmed that 50 pupils escaped and reunited with their families.
In the interview, Yohanna described how the attackers initially attempted to break into the convent where the sisters reside but were unsuccessful.
“I think the first attempt was to see if they could break through where the sisters are living. That didn’t happen. They were not able to break the place because when they came to the gate, they were asking, ‘Where are the sisters living?’ The gateman said, ‘Well, they work here, but they don’t live here.’ So they shot him and forced the gate open,” he said.
He added that the assailants also tried to force the gates separating the convent from the school, but were again unsuccessful.
“They tried to force the gates that separated the sisters’ convent and the school; they didn’t succeed. So eventually, they went to the hostel where we have the dormitory, where we have the children. They shot into the air and everyone was scared.
“Many of them tried to escape, or many escaped into the bushes around. At the end of the day, they were able to make their way with some of them, and we don’t know the exact number of pupils, students and teachers taken away,” he said.