The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Northern Region and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. John Hayab, has revealed that a father died of a heart attack after his three children were abducted during the attack on St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.
Speaking on ARISE News on Tuesday, Hayab said the parent, identified simply as Mr Anthony, could not survive the shock of learning that all three of his children were taken by bandits during the recent surge of school kidnappings across Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states. According to him, the level of emotional trauma facing families has become unbearable.
“People want to see concrete action. Imagine a mother or a father whose daughter… one of the parents (Mr Anthony) of these girls picked in the school died yesterday of a heart attack because three of his children are victims,” Hayab said. PUNCH Online reports that this claim has not been independently verified.
Hayab explained that many parents are too afraid to speak publicly about the abductions, recounting how traumatised families trembled when approached for comments. He said the situation in Kontagora, where church leaders and affected families gathered, was marked by fear, confusion and deep emotional distress, especially for the parent who had three children missing.
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He revealed that more than 265 schoolchildren, most of them between ages 9 and 14, remain missing after the attack. While about 50 senior students managed to flee into the bush and return home on their own, hundreds are still unaccounted for. Hayab said the abducted children have been without food, rest or proper hygiene, while their families have no idea where they are being held.
He also raised concerns over what locals described as the absence of a visible security presence in the affected communities, stressing that Nigerians want action, not official statements.
Hayab welcomed the release of 24 schoolgirls earlier abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, a development confirmed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. However, he warned that despite the release, the level of trauma among families remains extremely high, and the recurring attacks expose longstanding failures in Nigeria’s security system.
He expressed frustration that Nigeria has the manpower to combat terrorism but suffers from poor deployment of personnel. According to him, many officers who should be in communities are instead assigned to VIPs or banks, and this misallocation continues to undermine national security.
His comments came shortly after the Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force ordered officers attached to VIPs to return to their bases, following a directive issued by President Bola Tinubu on November 23 for the withdrawal of all police operatives assigned to VIP protection nationwide.
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