Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, has disclosed that 11 additional students of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Agwarra local government area of the State, have been rescued following last week’s attack on the school.

Bago revealed this during an interview with BBC News Africa, where he said; “Yes. Because the school told us that students escaped. In a farm settlement, we rescued 11 people. So outside the last 51 that were declared, I’m sure 11 have been confirmed rescued and the operation is still going on.”

He stressed that the kidnapping incident was being misrepresented by groups attempting to “blackmail the country” and fuel religious tension.

According to him, the church-run institution has long served as a refuge for people of diverse backgrounds, not only Christians, and it should not be used to stoke division.

“It’s not about Christianity. It’s beyond that,” he said. “A school where the church has been there for a lot of people. In Papiri, the church has served as an orphanage, as a school, and as a home to people who are homeless. So it’s beyond just Christianity.”

Bago dismissed claims that Christians were being targeted, warning that “devil advocates” were trying to exploit the situation.

“A lot of people who even attend the school, who are students or pupils, are probably not just Christians. It’s a mixture,” he explained.

“People are trying to take advantage of the situation to blackmail the country or portray that Christians are maligned. But it’s not so.”

The governor also clarified earlier reports about the number of abducted children, saying the figures had been exaggerated because many pupils fled into the forest during the chaos.

“There was an attack and there was scare. A lot of children went into the forest,” he said. “The school said to me in writing: missing, not abducted. They are not certain whether these students are with the bandits or still in the bush.”

He confirmed that a register had been opened to properly account for all students while search operations continued.

On rescue efforts, Bago assured parents that state security operatives were actively working on the ground.

“The assurance we are giving them is that we have started rescuing some of their children. Some of them have been reunited,” he stated.

He declined to discuss operational details, saying, “Security isn’t what you see. We can’t discuss security on your screen. We are here to rescue lives.”

On when boarding schools in the area would reopen, the governor said it would take time.

“It’s not going to be very soon,” he noted. “Papiri won’t open now until we assure that the lives of people and students are secured.”

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had disclosed that a total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during Friday, November 21, 2025 attack on St Mary’s Catholic School in north-central Nigeria’s Niger State.