A month after they were abducted from their school dormitory at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, over 100 schoolchildren and teachers remain in bandits’ den.

On November 21, 2025, armed bandits raided St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, abducting over 300 schoolchildren and their teachers.

Among the abducted schoolchildren, 50 escaped two days after they were captured and were reunited with their families, while 100 were released after the government engaged the bandits on December 7. Since the release of the 100 schoolchildren on December 7, nothing has been said or heard about those still languishing in bandits’ den.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, before the release of the 100 abducted schoolchildren, said those abducted were doing well in bandits’ den.

While families of the abducted schoolchildren head into the yuletide season with their children still in bandits’ captivity, President Bola Tinubu resumed his Christmas holiday with a journey to Lagos, his home state, on Saturday.

Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for the president, announced in a statement that Mr Tinubu “will spend the upcoming end-of-year holidays” in Lagos, attending the Eyo Festival.

During his Christmas holiday, Mr Tinubu will “be the guest of honour at the Eyo Festival scheduled for December 27, among his numerous engagements while in the city,” Mr Onanuga said.