Niger Govt Probes School Principal After Students Kidnapped Despite DSS Security Alerts

The Niger State government has launched an investigation into why the principal of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Agwara, disregarded a state directive ordering all boarding schools in the northern senatorial district to remain closed due to heightened security threats.

The probe follows an early-morning attack on Friday in which gunmen invaded the school and kidnapped an unspecified number of pupils.

The attack mirrors a similar incident earlier in the week at a government school in Kebbi State, despite prior warnings from the Department of State Services (DSS) about possible terrorist assaults on schools and other soft targets.

Confirming the incident in a Friday statement, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, said the kidnapping occurred just days after suspected terrorists abducted students from a girls’ college in neighbouring Kebbi.

Usman noted that the government had earlier received credible intelligence indicating increased terrorist activity in parts of Niger North. Based on this, authorities ordered the suspension of construction work and closure of all boarding schools in the affected region.

“Regrettably, St. Mary’s School reopened without notifying or obtaining clearance from the government, exposing pupils and staff to avoidable danger,” he said.

He urged school owners and community leaders to strictly follow security advisories, stressing that the safety of children remains a top priority. Security agencies have begun a full-scale investigation and search-and-rescue operations, with the government promising continuous updates.

Security sources said they are also examining possible sabotage by the school’s management. One source revealed that the DSS had shared intelligence as far back as August about plans by Ansaru/ISWAP fighters to attack schools in the Borgu axis. The state subsequently ordered schools there to shut down.

St. Mary’s, founded by an Irish priest who also owns another school in Borgu LGA, was reportedly reopened by its principal, Felicia Diyah, without consulting the proprietor. Sources also alleged that she travelled to Abuja just hours before the attack, raising further suspicion.

Meanwhile, the military has begun a separate investigation into claims that soldiers assigned to guard Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where 22 girls were recently abducted, abandoned their post about thirty minutes before gunmen struck, killing the vice principal.

The officers under probe include a Staff Sergeant, two Sergeants, two Corporals, and two Privates.