More details have surfaced regarding the abduction of students and staff of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA of Niger State, with the school principal, Rev. Sr. Felicia Gyang, giving a chilling account of how the attackers stormed the premises.
In a video clip dated November 21 and obtained by Sunday Punch, Gyang narrated how the terrorists forced their way into the school in the early hours of the morning while terrified children screamed for help.
According to her, the armed men arrived shortly after midnight, using motorcycles and vehicles to break through successive gates.
“The unfortunate incident happened past 12 when we heard noise, motorbikes, and the sound of cars. Before we knew it, there were serious bangs on different gates in the compound,” she recounted.
She said the sisters quickly gathered to observe the commotion.
She stated, “We got up, and I called my other sisters for us to peep out. When we peeped, we heard noise and children were crying.”
Gyang explained that in the confusion, locating keys to some gates became difficult, leaving her no choice but to exit through an alternative route to assess the situation.
“Apparently, when we were there trying to see what would happen with those that were out of danger at that moment, we could hear the sound of the other bus,” she said, referring to the vehicle used by the attackers.
She added that distress calls echoed from various parts of the compound as the bandits advanced.
The principal revealed that multiple attempts to reach security personnel during the attack were unsuccessful.
She added, “At the end, we heard the security man at the main gate rowing. We couldn’t hear what he was saying, but after some time, we heard them driving off on bikes.
“One of us was making calls to see who we could call for help. We tried to call places around where we could get help. We tried the Divisional Police Officer, too, but we couldn’t get through.”
Asked whether the school had received any prior alerts from security agencies, Gyang dismissed the claims.
“No, we didn’t receive,” she said.
She also denied suggestions that the school had earlier been advised to shut down over security concerns.