The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria on Sunday commended President Bola Tinubu and security agencies for the release of the remaining pupils abducted from a boarding school in Niger State, describing the development as a huge relief for parents and the nation.
The President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, gave the commendation when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, following confirmation that the last batch of abducted students had regained their freedom.
Osifo, who is also the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, expressed gratitude to security operatives for ending weeks of anguish suffered by families of the abducted children.
“First, I thank our security personnel for this breaking news (release of remaining abducted Niger students). 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 also praised the efforts of security agencies coordinating the rescue operation, noting that their intervention brought relief to parents and restored hope.
“So, we thank the security outfit led by the office of the NSA and the Ministry of Defence for coming to the rescue of those children,” Osifo added.
While welcoming the rescue, the labour leader urged the Federal Government to take concrete steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, warning that repeated school abductions were deepening fear and discouraging school attendance across the country.
“We wish to encourage the government that, moving forward, this kind of thing should never repeat itself. This kind of trauma should never happen again. So, we must put in the right architecture to ensure that whatever happened in Chibok, Dapchi, Kebbi, and now Niger doesn’t happen again.
“These are the reasons some of the children don’t want to go to school and the reason some parents would rather keep their kids at home instead of sending them to school,” he said.
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 school attack.
A security official familiar with the rescue operation told Premium Times that the latest release accounted for all the remaining victims taken during the raid.
Although the exact number was initially unclear, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, Sunday Dare, later confirmed that 130 pupils had been freed.
“Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released. None left in captivity,” Dare wrote on X.
The abduction occurred when gunmen stormed the boarding 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 about the safety of schools.
Days after the incident, the Christian Association of Nigeria revealed that about 50 pupils escaped during the raid, while scores of others were taken away.
In response, President Tinubu ordered a massive security operation, deploying ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi and Kwara states.
He also cancelled an official trip to personally oversee rescue efforts, as authorities temporarily shut schools across Niger State and some federal institutions in high-risk areas.
On December 8, security agencies secured the release of about 100 abductees, leaving an unspecified number in captivity until the latest breakthrough.
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.
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