By Chidimma Okwara
NIGER, NIGERIA– Mohammed Umaru Bago, Niger State Governor, has made a u-turn to stirred controversy over the attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary School in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area by stating that no student was abducted by bandits and bandits only scared them.
Based on reliable media reports and official statements initially released by the Niger State Government, here is what Governor Bago has actually said and done:
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Governor Bago’s initial Stance and Actions
Governor Bago has publicly acknowledged that the incident was a mass abduction. He described the event as “unfortunate and deeply saddening” and a “heartbreaking assault on our children.”
In response to the attack, he ordered the immediate closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools across the entire state until further notice (or after the New Year), explicitly stating that the action was a precautionary measure taken to prevent further attacks and ensure the safety of students.
The Governor emphasized that the immediate mission of his administration and security forces is to “ensure the safe rescue of these children and everyone abducted.” He convened an emergency security meeting with service chiefs to intensify rescue operations.
While he did not deny the abduction, he did state that the exact number of abducted children had not been confirmed immediately after the attack. The number was initially being determined by security agencies conducting a headcount, before the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) later released a verified figure of 315 abductees (303 students and 12 teachers).
But, today, the governor made a U-turn when he granted an interview to TVC news on Saturday night after he terminated his assessment visit to the school to get first hand information of the incident at the palace of the Emir of Borgu.
When asked why he said “visiting the school will be an effort in futility because there is nobody in the school.”
“There was nothing like mass abduction, what happened was that the bandits came and were shooting sporadically into the air and the students were scared and escaped into the nearby bush.
“Right now, about 60 of them have come out of their hiding. The security agents are combing the bush for more of them who are still hiding, so we appeal for calm.”
He insisted that the government gave early warning to the school management of an imminent bandits’ attacks but was ignored. Noting that the management closed the school sometimes ago but later reopened them, he wondered who asked them to reopen the school.
This claim by the governor had earlier been debunked by the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who challenged the government to prove the allegation of early warning to the management as there was no communication from the government to that effect, either written or verbal.
He described the claim by the government as mere propaganda and an afterthought.
