In Kontagora, Niger State, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and other government officials on Monday visited the town to meet grieving parents and church authorities following the abduction of pupils and staff of St. Mary’s Private Catholic School, assuring them that the Federal Government is fully committed to the urgent rescue of the children.
- ‘A moment of hope’ for families
The high-level delegation arrived at St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral in Kontagora, where Mr Ribadu delivered President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message of sympathy, solidarity, and determination. He said all security agencies had intensified coordinated operations to locate and safely recover the abducted students.
He added that the federal government was receiving technical intelligence and operational support from international partners, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, as part of ongoing rescue efforts.
‘A moment of hope’ for families
The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora, Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, welcomed the delegation, saying the high-level visit had brought “a renewed sense of hope” to families who had waited for days without clear information about their children.
A brief closed-door meeting allowed parents and school officials to recount the circumstances of the attack, and many parents said they were living “between fear and faith” as they awaited news from security agencies. More than 200 children, pupils and teachers are said to have remained missing for over a week since the abduction, with their exact location still unknown.
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The Kontagora abduction is the latest in a series of violent attacks targeting educational institutions and religious centres in northern Nigeria. Days earlier, armed men seized 25 schoolgirls from a boarding school in Kebbi State, while other attacks on churches left worshippers shot or abducted during services.
The surge in violence has forced temporary school closures in several states, deepened public anxiety and renewed concerns about the government’s ability to protect civilians.
Tinubu declares national security emergency
Confronted with the worsening security situation, President Tinubu last week declared a national security emergency, signalling a major overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture. He ordered the recruitment of thousands of additional police officers, redeployment of personnel from VIP protection, and the conversion of NYSC camps into temporary training centres.
Tinubu also called for constitutional reforms that would enable states to establish their own police forces, arguing that a localised, community-sensitive system was urgently needed to address Nigeria’s fragmented security landscape.
In a statement, he warned: “Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness.”
The Kontagora incident comes shortly after Nigeria formed a new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group on Security Cooperation, following high-level meetings in Washington, D.C. The group aims to strengthen intelligence-sharing, improve counterinsurgency coordination and enhance rapid-response efforts to confront rising violence.
As security operations continue, families in Kontagora are bracing for an anxious wait. Parents say the federal delegation’s visit has offered some reassurance, but they remain desperate for the swift and safe rescue of the children.