The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has commended President Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security agencies for securing the release of the remaining students abducted from a boarding school in Niger State, describing the development as a major relief for parents and the country at large.
The President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, gave the commendation on Sunday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, shortly after confirmation that the last batch of abducted pupils had regained their freedom. Osifo, who also leads the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), expressed deep appreciation to security operatives for ending weeks of anxiety endured by the families of the victims.
“First, I thank our security personnel for this breaking news. For us, we are quite elated and happy because, as parents, when your children go to school and do not return home, I wonder if any of those fathers and mothers were able to sleep in the last month,” he said.
He specifically praised the coordinated efforts of the security agencies, noting that their intervention restored hope to affected families. “We thank the security outfit led by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Defence for coming to the rescue of those children,” Osifo added.
While welcoming the successful rescue, the labour leader urged the Federal Government to take decisive steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. He warned that repeated school abductions were creating widespread fear and discouraging school attendance across the country.
“This kind of trauma should never happen again. We must put the right architecture in place to ensure that what happened in Chibok, Dapchi, Kebbi, and now Niger does not repeat itself,” he said, noting that insecurity has forced some parents to keep their children out of school.
The remaining students and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, regained their freedom on Sunday, bringing an end to the November 21 attack. A security official familiar with the operation confirmed that the latest release accounted for all those taken during the raid.
Although the initial number of abductees was unclear, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, later confirmed that 130 pupils were freed. “Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released. None left in captivity,” Dare wrote on X.
The abduction occurred when gunmen stormed the school around 2:00 a.m., moving from dormitory to dormitory before leading their captives into nearby forests. The attack sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over school safety.
Following the incident, about 50 pupils reportedly escaped, while others remained in captivity until successive rescue operations led to their release. In response, President Tinubu ordered a large-scale security operation involving ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states, and cancelled an official trip to personally oversee the rescue efforts.
On December 8, security agencies secured the release of about 100 abductees, with the remaining victims freed in the latest operation. As of the time of filing this report, neither the Federal Government nor the Niger State Government had issued a formal statement on the development.
