National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has assured that the more than 300 students and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Co-Education School in Kontagora, Niger State, will be safely reunited with their families “soon.” He made the statement during a high-level visit to the school on Monday.
The attack occurred on November 21, when armed gunmen stormed the Catholic boarding school, taking hundreds hostage in one of the latest mass abductions challenging security across Nigeria.
Around 50 students have already managed to escape. Ribadu told school officials, through Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, that “the children are fine and will be back soon”.
The NSA’s visit was part of a federal delegation that included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). Ribadu emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring the safe and swift return of all victims.
Mass kidnappings in Nigeria have increased since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl abduction by Boko Haram. Armed criminal groups, often called “bandits,” now treat kidnapping as a structured, profit-driven enterprise. Analysts note that these abductions generate millions in ransom payments. November alone saw hundreds of students abducted nationwide.
The St. Mary’s incident coincided with the abduction of 25 students from a girls’ secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi State, who were later released through “non-kinetic” means.
Ribadu reiterated that the government is fully committed to the safety of all abducted children.
