By Mohammed Bello Doka
Fresh details emerging from the recently freed pupils of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State have raised new questions about the circumstances surrounding their return, despite official claims of a successful “rescue operation.”
One of the pupils, Florence Michael, recounted that the abductors held them in a dense bush near a river for days, providing only a trampoline-like sheet to sleep on and threatening punishment for any noise or attempts to escape. According to her, the pupils were later dropped off in a remote bush path between Lumma and Wawa towns, where security personnel eventually recovered them.
Her account has fuelled fresh debate on whether the development was the result of a direct rescue or a coordinated release following behind-the-scenes negotiations, a pattern increasingly associated with mass school abductions in northern Nigeria.
Official Version vs Eyewitness Accounts
Government officials, including the Niger State authorities and federal security agencies, maintain that the children were recovered through “coordinated efforts” involving intelligence work, pressure on the kidnappers and multi-agency collaboration. They have not disclosed whether any confrontation occurred, nor have they announced any arrests connected to the incident.
However, the pupils’ testimonies reveal no signs of a forceful extraction, no mention of gunfire, and no indication that the captors were engaged by operatives before the pupils were left at the pickup point — a scenario that mirrors several past abductions where victims were quietly released after negotiations.
Security Pressure or Silent Bargain?
Security analysts note that in many such incidents, heavy troop presence and sustained intelligence pressure can force kidnappers to abandon their captives without a fight. Yet the absence of recovered weapons, captured suspects or details of an actual raid has heightened suspicion that a negotiated settlement may have enabled the partial release.
Authorities have historically avoided confirming ransom payments or negotiations, citing national security implications and the fear of incentivising copy-cat attacks. The opaque nature of the latest operation has again placed the government under scrutiny.
Families Await Answers as Others Remain in Captivity
While at least 100 of the abducted pupils have been safely returned and are undergoing medical checks before reunification with their families, more than a hundred students and teachers reportedly remain in captivity, with no clear timeline for their return.
Parents and community leaders have appealed for transparency, urging the government to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining victims and to strengthen security around vulnerable rural schools.
A Familiar Pattern in an Unfinished Battle
The Papiri abduction adds to a long list of mass kidnappings in the North-central and North-west, where the line between “rescue” and “release” has often been blurred. As the newly freed pupils begin their journey back to normalcy, the central question persists:
Were they truly rescued — or simply released under a deal the public may never fully know
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