The crisis surrounding the abduction of pupils from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State has taken an even darker turn, as two parents of the missing children have been confirmed dead.
The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who also serves as the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria and proprietor of the school, disclosed the development through his media aide, Daniel Atori, on Tuesday in Minna.
According to him, “the man, Anthony Musa, died of heart attack but the female we don’t have the details yet because we couldn’t get the family.”
The late Musa was among the parents who had been anxiously waiting since the abduction of the schoolchildren, a situation that has stretched families into emotional exhaustion as rescue efforts continue. The identity of the second deceased parent, a woman, is yet to be confirmed, as officials said they had been unable to reach her relatives.
St Mary’s Catholic School was attacked recently, with students taken away by armed men, deepening security concerns in parts of Niger State already battling repeated incursions by bandits. The abduction triggered widespread panic, community vigils and heightened calls for stronger intervention from the authorities.
Bishop Yohanna’s confirmation of the deaths underscores the severe psychological toll the prolonged wait has placed on the families, many of whom have remained in distress since the incident.
Local communities continue to hope for the safe return of the abducted students. Authorities have yet to release further details on rescue operations or the identity of the second parent who died.
Daniel Otera is a dedicated journalist with over four years of experience in reporting, field coverage and fact-checking. He has built a reputation for telling stories with clarity, accuracy and a strong commitment to truth. Daniel’s work focuses on bringing verified information to the public while capturing the real experiences of people on the ground.