- Safiu Kehinde
Two parents of some of the abducted school children from St. Mary’s Private Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, have been confirmed dead.
This is coming barely a week after suspected armed bandits stormed the school and kidnapped over 300 children.
While 50 out of the students had reportedly escaped from the bandits’ den and reunited with their parents, others are still held captive by the gunmen.
The disturbing development has unfortunately led to the death of two parents whose children are still in captivity.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Dan Atori, the media aide to the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
According to Atori, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the proprietor of the attacked school, explained that one of the parents, Anthony Musa, died of a heart attack.
He added that the details surrounding the death of the other female parent are still unclear, as the church has not been able to reach her family.
Also confirming the tragic development was CAN Chairman for Northern Region and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rev, John Hayab.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday night, the clergyman, confirmed the death of Mr. Anthony whose three children are all kidnapped in the attack.
Hayab also disclosed that most of the parents are currently traumatised as they don’t know the whereabout of their children.
“There is something that probably many Nigerians don’t know. One of the parents of these children that were picked in the school, Mr. Anthony, died yesterday of heart attack because three of his children are victims.
“We have tried today to speak to many of the parents in their numbers, many of them were scared to pick calls.
“When I was speaking yesterday to the leadership of the church in Kotangora and they told me this news, it was really a sad thing.
“You can imagine. Three children!” The CAN Chairman said.