The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the Northern Region and the Federal Capital Territory, Reverend John Hayab, has disclosed that a parent identified as Mr. Anthony died after a heart attack triggered by the kidnapping of his three children in Niger State, located in north-central Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News, Reverend Hayab explained that the father was deeply distressed following the abduction at Saint Mary’s Catholic School, Kontagora, an institution that recently suffered a large-scale kidnapping incident involving hundreds of pupils.
Okay News reports that Reverend Hayab used the incident to highlight the overwhelming emotional burden and fear that parents across several Nigerian states—particularly Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger—have endured over the past days. According to him, the grief within the community is difficult to comprehend.
He stated, “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.”
Although independent verification of the incident remains pending, Reverend Hayab stressed that his intention was not to criticise anyone but to illustrate the depth of the crisis. He added, “People do not understand that when you tell it as it is, you are not speaking against anybody; you are only trying to state the problem.”
He noted that many parents are now afraid to express their fears publicly because of the trauma and uncertainty around the whereabouts of their children.
International readers may note that Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has faced recurring mass abductions in schools over the past decade due to armed banditry and terrorist activities in several regions.
Reverend Hayab described his visit to local church leaders in Kontagora, explaining the emotional state of families still awaiting updates. He said, “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.”
He further lamented the lack of visible security presence in parts of Niger State even after the school was attacked, adding that citizens are exhausted by statements without action. He stressed, “The onus is now on the Nigerian security agencies to ensure that we do not speak about this on television. People want to see concrete action.”
According to him, around fifty senior students managed to return after escaping into surrounding bushes during the attack. However, over two hundred and sixty-five children aged between nine and fourteen remain unaccounted for.
Reverend Hayab acknowledged the earlier escape of abducted pupils—an update that had been confirmed by leaders within the Catholic Church in Niger State—while also welcoming the recent release of twenty-four schoolgirls kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, located in northwestern Nigeria.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the release. Reverend Hayab said families remain deeply affected despite this development, noting that “Everybody is worried, everybody is angry, everybody needs a stop. It has been a traumatic week for parents, for leaders and for our security men.”
He insisted that Nigeria has sufficient personnel to tackle insecurity if resources are deployed responsibly, saying too many officers are assigned to protect Very Important Persons rather than serving in communities. He argued that banks and private institutions should hire their own security instead of relying heavily on police manpower.
In response to these concerns, the Nigeria Police Force’s Special Protection Unit announced that officers assigned to protect VIPs nationwide must return to their original bases. This came after President Tinubu’s directive on November 23 ordering the withdrawal of officers from VIP duties.
