The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Northern Region and the FCT, Rev. John Hayab, has revealed that a father d!ed of a heart attack after the abduction of his three children at St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.

 

 

 

Bandits invaded the school on Monday and abducted 303 students, pupils and 12 teachers.

 

 

 

 

CAN Chairman in Niger State and the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed that 50 of the students managed to escape between Friday and Saturday.

 

 

Speaking on Tuesday, Hayab told ARISE News that the man, identified as Mr Anthony, suffered a heart attack after learning that his children were taken during the attack.

 

 

 

Continuing, Hayab said families in Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger states have been living through intense fear since the recent series of school kidnappings

 

 

 

“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, d1ed yesterday of a heart attack because three of his children are victims,” he said.

 

 

 

Hayab explained that many parents are afraid to speak publicly about their children’s abduction.

 

 

 

“The pains and the trauma are still very fresh. We tried speaking to the parents today, and they were scared of

speaking to us

 

 

“It was a very sad thing. You can imagine a man in shock because three children, he would not know what to explain, what is happening to them.

 

 

 

 

 

“People don’t understand this. These children have not slept, they have not bathed, and their parents cannot even explain where they are,” he added

 

 

 

He noted that locals in Niger State reported no clear security presence after the incident, stressing that families want action from security agencies.

 

 

 

“The onus is now on the Nigerian security agencies to ensure that we don’t speak about this on television. People want to see concrete action.

 

 

 

According to him, 50 senior students managed to return after escaping into the bush during the attack, but more than 265 children are still missing.

 

 

 

He welcomed the release of 24 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State and highlighted the emotional toll on families.

 

 

 

“Everybody is worried, everybody is angry, everybody needs a stop. It has been a traumatic week for parents, for leaders and for our sec

urity men,” he said.