A wave of fear and uncertainty continues to sweep through Papiri in Niger State as 265 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools remain missing following last week’s mass abduction. The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora, Bulus Yohanna, raised the alarm while renewing calls on the Federal Government to urgently intervene and secure the release of the victims.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Friday, Bishop Yohanna revealed that 12 teachers and 253 students are still unaccounted for. He explained that the diocese had initially recorded 315 missing persons—303 pupils and students, along with 12 teachers—after conducting a headcount in the aftermath of the attack.

According to him, the number was later revised to 265 after some of the abducted individuals escaped and reunited with their families. “Those who escaped went back home to their villages. When we started having calls from those that reunited with their parents, we were able to get 50 out of the 315,” he said. “We deducted that number, so we now have 265 as of now. That is the number that is still missing.”

Yohanna, who also chairs the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, said the list of the missing students and teachers has been submitted to the state governor, Umar Bago. He described the situation as deeply troubling for the Church, the community, and the affected families, noting that the psychological toll has been immense.

He appealed to the Federal Government to deploy security operatives without delay to rescue the captives. Beyond the immediate response, the Bishop urged authorities to adopt stronger, long-term security measures to prevent further attacks on schools across the country.

The incident has fueled growing concerns over rising insecurity in educational institutions, as parents and community members await news of their missing children and teachers with heavy hearts.