Father Of Three Abducted Niger Schoolchildren Dies Of Heart Attack – CAN Chairman

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the Northern Region and the FCT, Rev. John Hayab, has disclosed that a parent died of a heart attack following the abduction of his three children at St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.

Hayab made this known on Tuesday while speaking to ARISE News.

He said the families whose children were kidnapped in Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger states over the past week went through a lot of trauma.

He said the man, simply identified as Mr Anthony, was overwhelmed by the shock of losing his children.

“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,” he said.

Speaking to the leadership of the church in Kontagora, Hayab 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.”

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

Hayab also revealed that reports from locals in Niger State showed no visible security presence, stating that Nigerians want action, not statements.

“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,” he said.

He added that 50 senior students returned on their own after fleeing into the bush during the bandit attack, but over 265 students remain unaccounted for, most aged between nine and 14.

On November 23, the Niger State Chairman of CAN revealed that 50 of the abducted pupils have reportedly escaped from their captors and reunited with their parents.

Hayab welcomed the release of 24 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, but warned that the situation has left families “traumatised” and exposed longstanding failures in Nigeria’s security system.