· Parents in agony
By Laraba MUREY
17 days after, 100 of the 250 students and 12 staff members from St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Papiri, Niger state, have been released through efforts by the federal government.
As at the time of going to press, it was unclear how the release was effected and where the released students were.
The families say they are trapped in fear, frustration, and uncertainty.
303 school children and 12 staff members were taken by suspected Islamists on November 21 to yet-to-be known location.
Fifty pupils managed to escape the attackers in the immediate aftermath, the fate of the remaining hostages were unknown until the Sunday release of 100.
Speaking before now, for parents like Sunday Gbazali, a farmer and father of 12, the trauma is unbearable.
Gbazali’s 14-year-old son was taken alongside others on that fateful day.
“I barely sleep,” Gbazali said. “My wife cries constantly. They are just telling us to exercise patience, that they are trying to rescue the children. How can we find peace when we do not know his current condition?”
He added, his voice cracking: “I used to hear about abductions in the news, but I never knew the pain until it happened to me.”
This attack is among the most severe since Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014, an event that captured global attention but left lasting scars on Nigeria’s northern communities.
National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, assured Catholic leaders and the school authorities when he visited the school last Monday that “the children are doing fine and will be back soon,” yet no further updates have been provided.
The attackers’ identities remain unknown, and parents report no ransom demands.
“The government says that it’s taking action, but up to now, we haven’t got any information,” said Emmanuel Bala, chair of the school’s parent-teacher association.
Families are left in limbo, unable to know whether their children are alive or injured.
Administrative confusion has deepened the anxiety. Parents were asked to register their children a full week after the abduction, after Niger state Governor Mohammed Umar Bago suggested the scale of the kidnapping was exaggerated.
Police documented 215 students as still in captivity, but registration remains incomplete due to poor communication networks in the remote region.
Bishop Bulus Yohanna, CAN chairman for Niger state, noted that many parents had not received the notice to register their children, complicating rescue efforts.
President Bola Tinubu has faced mounting domestic and international criticisms over the government’s handling of security and alleged religious persecution of Christians especially from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Tinubu denies such claims but has taken steps to address the crisis, declaring a nationwide security emergency and ordering the recruitment of thousands of additional army and 50, 000 police personnel.
Amnesty International reported that nearly 20,500 schools have closed across seven states following the St. Mary’s attack.
Nigeria already has approximately 20 million children out of school, mostly in the north, where parents fear kidnapping and armed violence.
Since the Chibok kidnappings, over 1,800 students have been abducted across Nigeria, often with minimal government response.
“These atrocities are not isolated tragedies – they are part of a pattern spanning over 11 years,” the movement said in an open letter to President Tinubu.
Experts warn that without comprehensive security reforms, Nigeria risks losing an entire generation to fear, trauma, and disrupted education.
Analysts point to a combination of poorly trained local security forces, expansive forests providing cover for armed gangs, and ineffective intelligence networks as key factors fueling the epidemic of school kidnappings.
