The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Bulus Yohanna, has suggested that the recent abduction of students in Niger State was primarily motivated by ransom rather than religious motives, even as he welcomed the release of 100 rescued pupils.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Bishop Yohanna, who is also the proprietor of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, said testimonies from pupils who escaped point to a clear financial motive behind the attack.
“Listening to some of those who escaped, I mean the pupils, when the raid was taking place, what they heard them saying was, ‘let us take more so that we have more money.
“Now, if I go by that, I think this abduction has to do more with ransom rather than maybe any religious undertone… sometimes it is said that it is very hard to know when a blind man is sleeping.”
He added that understanding the attackers’ true intentions requires caution:
“So if somebody is carrying a particular act, until you hear from him what exactly his intention is, you cannot conclude that this is why he is doing it.
“But if what the pupils were saying, those that escaped, they heard them say, let us take more so that we have more money. So maybe the first intention there is for ransom.”
The bishop expressed mixed emotions over the latest developments.
While the release of 100 students on Sunday brought relief, 165 students remain in captivity following the November 21 attack, in which terrorists stormed St. Mary’s School and abducted 315 persons, including 12 teachers. About 50 pupils managed to escape shortly after the attack.
“We are experiencing a mix of emotions. On one hand, we are happy about the release of the 100 students, and on the other hand, we are sad because 165 students are still in captivity,” Bishop Yohanna said.
Speaking on the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago’s closure of all schools in the state following the attack, Yohanna said some parents have appealed against the closures.
He said, “One of the parents, when the NSA visited us, was begging that the school should not be closed, that even with this thing that has happened, the school should continue.
“We will encourage them [students] that they have to go back to school. We will do everything to make sure that the school continues.”
Bishop Yohanna called for sustained government action to secure the release of the remaining children and strengthen security in schools across Niger State.
