By Michael AMAJAMA
Protest rocked Papiri in Niger State as parents of the students abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, held a peaceful protest expressing deep frustration over what they described as government’s negligence and prolonged inaction over their missing children and wards.
Over 200 distraught parents gathered at the school premises, where they solemnly recorded their names and those of their missing children as part of an ongoing documentation and accountability exercise.
The atmosphere was heavy with grief, fear, and uncertainty as families pleaded for urgent intervention.
The abduction occurred on November 21, when armed men invaded the school and forcefully took away over 300 pupils and 12 teachers.
While approximately 50 students managed to escape, the majority remain in captivity, leaving families in anguish as they await meaningful updates or concrete steps from authorities.
Parents emphasized that each passing day deepens their pain, and they called on the government and security agencies to act decisively to ensure the safe return of their children and teachers.
A parent expressed her worry that the government, state of federal, was not communicating with them leaving them wondering what was the fate of the abducted children.
“Only God knows where are our children. If the Kebbi school girls have returned as well as the 38 CAC worshippers, why is our case different?” The distraught parent asked.
In another development, armed bandits stormed a wedding ceremony and abducted more than 29 women, including the bride and her bridesmaids.
The attack occurred on Friday, November 29, in the Chacho community of Wurno Local Government Area. According to accounts provided by English Alhaji, the bandits invaded the community between 8pm and 9pm, striking shortly after the wedding reception had begun.
During the invasion, the attackers opened fire, leaving one person injured. They then rounded up the women present at the celebration and abducted about 30 of them, among whom were the newlywed bride and her bridesmaids.
The incident threw the entire community into panic and mourning, as families struggle to comprehend the devastating turn of events on what was meant to be a joyful day.
The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, confirmed the incident, saying details of the attack were still sketchy.
