Federal Government Secures Release of Abducted Pupils in Niger State
By: Abudu Olalekan
A flicker of hope. After a terrifying ordeal, 100 abducted students are coming home. But the story is far from over.
Finally, some good news. A sliver of light in a dark, familiar story. This Sunday, the Federal Government announced a breakthrough: the release of 100 students. They were among the 265 pupils and teachers snatched from St. Mary Catholic Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, just weeks ago. It’s a relief, no doubt. But it’s a complicated one.
Think about the numbers for a second. It’s staggering. 265 people, taken from a place of learning. 51 students managed a brave escape back on November 23rd. But that left so many behind, including all 12 teachers. Now, 100 are coming home. That’s 100 families breathing a massive sigh of relief tonight. But what of the others? The arithmetic of anguish continues.
The reaction from leaders was immediate, a mix of celebration and sober reflection. Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, appearing on a Sunday politics show, was quick to offer congratulations. “First I congratulate Mr President,” he said, “since the Federal Government played a key role in this release.” He also praised Niger State Governor Umar Bago. But his tone was more than just celebratory. It was defensive of the government’s often-criticized efforts.
“It is a cheering news,” Sule continued, his words spilling out in a stream of consciousness. “Which means outside whatever people are saying on the streets, you know, there are people who are working day and night to ensure that something happens… So government is working, and the security agencies are working, but it is not everything that you are, that you come and tell, you know, disclose it in the air.”
His point was clear: behind the scenes, stuff is happening. Stuff they can’t always talk about. But his real passion surfaced when the conversation shifted to the broader, crushing pattern of insecurity in the North. “We should worry every leader in Northern Nigeria,” he admitted, his frustration palpable.
He launched into a history lesson, his background in oil and gas framing his view. “If you go back to anywhere between 2003, 2004, all the way to around 2009 in this country, no kidnapping was taking place in northern Nigeria, but kidnapping was taking place in all the oil regions.” He described it as “mostly economic kidnapping” back then, a problem for the Niger Delta. It was a foreign concept to the North.
Then, it migrated. “So now, we came back to northern Nigeria, okay? So this is what is happening.” He traced its path: from the Northeast with Boko Haram’s tactical abductions, to the Northwest, and now into North Central. “It will come to an end,” he insisted, but the weariness was there.
The governor offered a raw glimpse into the pressure cooker of leadership meetings on security. “You need to see the, actually, the stress at that meeting, the tension… people raise their voices, because people are angry, people are worried… we are accusing ourselves that we are not doing enough.” This isn’t academic for them, he argued. It’s personal, daily trauma.
His final plea was for public understanding. “As a leader you know so anybody who says leaders don’t care or leaders are not doing enough… is actually doesn’t either understand or they’ll be mischievous you know.” The message: the struggle is relentless, and often invisible.
So, where does this leave us? 100 children are safe. That is an undeniable win for the negotiators, the agencies, the behind-the-scenes operators. Governor Sule’s history lesson is a stark reminder that this scourge is a shifting, evolving monster. It moved from the oil creeks to the arid savannah. The solutions have to be just as adaptable.
The celebration tonight in 100 homes is real and deserved. But in countless others across the North, the fear remains. The unlocked door, the anxious glance at the school gate. The release is a chapter closing, but the book on this epidemic of kidnapping remains painfully, worryingly open. The work, as the governor stressed, isn’t just about bringing them home. It’s about making sure they never get taken in the first place. And on that front, the test continues.
