Niger State schools reopen after mass kidnappings

Nigerian authorities have announced that schools in Niger state will begin reopening later this month, following a mass kidnapping in November that forced their closure as part of emergency security measures.

From January 12, public and private schools “located in safe areas” will be allowed to reopen, according to the Niger State Ministry of Education said in a statement.

The decision followed security assessments and “extensive consultations” with security agencies, the statement added.

The November kidnapping of more than 250 students and staff from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, western Nigeria, was one of the worst kidnappings ever in the country.

Officials confirmed that all missing students and teachers have been rescued just before Christmas. It has not been officially made public how the government secured their release or whether a ransom was paid to their captors.

For years, armed criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, have committed murders and kidnappings in many parts of Nigeria – but reports in the north-central region have recently increased.

Schools and places of worship are increasingly being targeted.

The government recently classified these criminal groups as terrorists, and although paying ransoms is illegal in Nigeria, some claims are often ignored.

More than 1,500 children have been abducted from schools across the country since 2014, when 276 girls were abducted during the infamous Chibok mass kidnapping.

It’s not yet clear which schools will reopen, but the state Department of Education said a list will be released.

Those considered to be in “dangerous or unsafe areas” will remain closed until the security situation has been assessed, the statement said.

For those who welcome students back, each child must be registered as soon as classes resume and the data sent to the Ministry of Education within one week.

Local authorities were also ordered to ensure an “adequate security presence in and around school premises” to help protect students from future attacks.

But just a day after authorities announced the reopening of schools, gunmen attacked a village in Niger state, killing at least 30 people and kidnapping several others, police said.

Saturday’s attack on the town of Kasuwan-Daji saw gunmen emerge from a forest, burn down the local market and loot shops, they added.

Residents were rounded up, tied up and attacked with knives, Abdullahi Rofia, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, told the BBC.

He said people in the community were terrified: “They are hiding, they are too scared to talk to anyone.

“They’re afraid that if you speak out, they’ll turn around and do the same thing to you.”

Additional reporting by Richard Kagoe and Makuochi Okafor