A teacher at St. Mary Catholic School in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, Mrs. Martha Mathias, has recounted a harrowing experience after armed bandits struck her school, abducting her husband and approximately 300 students on Friday, November 21, 2025. The attack has left the community in shock and has reignited concerns over the escalating insecurity across the region.
Attack unfolds in the early hours
Mrs. Mathias explained that the bandits arrived in three cars and several motorcycles, creating a terrifying atmosphere that sent both students and staff into panic. She revealed that the assailants also looted cash from teachers’ rooms, which had been kept there following recent salary payments, further adding to the distress.
“It was around 1 a.m. on Friday when we were sleeping. I heard children crying, ‘Please help me. Please help us. Please, where are the teachers? Please come and help us,’” Mrs. Mathias told reporters. She recalled feeling torn between checking on the children and heeding her husband’s warning to stay put for safety. “I wanted to come out. My husband said, ‘Lie down, lie down; they are bandits. Don’t go out.’ So I lay back. The children’s cries continued, and I wanted to go out again, but he insisted I stay,” she added.
Bandits’ systematic abduction
According to Mrs. Mathias, the attackers methodically gathered the children and interrogated them about the presence of their parents and teachers. “When they gathered all the children, they asked, ‘Where are your parents?’ They said, ‘We don’t have parents here. They are at home.’ Then they asked, ‘Where are the teachers?’ The children pointed to our rooms,” she explained.
The bandits began with Mrs. Mathias’ colleague before moving to her room, where her husband was captured. “They asked my husband to come out. When he did, they tied his hands behind his back and carried him away,” she recalled. Mrs. Mathias was later allowed to tend to her infant child, though the intruders ransacked her room, scattering belongings and heightening the sense of fear and helplessness.
Children and family under threat
The teacher described the terrifying ordeal faced by her daughter, who tried to follow her parents. “My daughter started shouting that she would follow us. She ran to me. The bandits threatened her with a gun to her forehead, saying they would kill her if she did not go back. Thankfully, they eventually let her return to me,” Mrs. Mathias recounted, emphasizing the life-threatening danger her children endured during the attack.
Scale of abduction and ongoing rescue efforts
Earlier reports confirmed that about 303 pupils and 12 staff members were abducted during the attack. Security forces, including police and military units, were immediately deployed to locate and rescue the victims. In a recent development, 50 of the kidnapped pupils have been returned safely to their families, while the remaining students and staff continue to be held in captivity amid ongoing rescue operations.
Community reacts and plea for help
The incident has triggered widespread outrage and fear in Niger State and beyond, with parents, teachers, and local leaders appealing for swift government intervention. Residents are calling for improved security measures to prevent further attacks on schools and communities, highlighting the vulnerability of children and educators in remote areas prone to banditry.
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WATCH: Teacher Recounts How Bandits Abducted Over 300 Pupils At Niger State Catholic School, Kidnapped Husband And Threatened To Shoot Daughter pic.twitter.com/C8ZZOeWv4f
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 24, 2025
The harrowing testimony of Mrs. Mathias provides a detailed glimpse into the terror faced by students, staff, and families during such attacks, underscoring the urgent need for stronger security measures in vulnerable regions of Nigeria. Authorities continue to work tirelessly to secure the release of the remaining abductees and bring the perpetrators to justice, while the community remains on high alert for any further threats.