Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris has hailed the full release of abducted students and staff from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, as a "moment of triumph and relief" capping Bola Tinubu's resolute security gains. In his December 21 opinion piece, Idris recounts the November 21, 2025, midnight bandit raid that seized over 300 pupils and 12 teachers, with initial escapes, a 100-strong mid-December liberation, and the final 130 freed via Tinubu's direct oversight troops, drones, and tri-state blockades without disclosed ransoms. He credits coordinated federal-state-community synergy, echoing his earlier Minna visit praising Governor Umaru Bago amid nationwide school safety vows.
Idris frames the outcome as validation of Tinubu's blueprint against insurgency, contrasting past failures like Chibok with this operational mastery that restored Minna reunions and quelled public despair. Families' joyous embraces underscore restored hope, as the minister spotlights non-kinetic community intelligence roles and vows sustained school fortifications nationwide. This closure, amid Kebbi parallels, signals momentum for 2026, urging patriotism to back reforms tackling root banditry drivers.
Observers note Idris's narrative bolsters Tinubu ahead of 2027, blending relief with calls for justice and prevention in Nigeria's insecurity hotspot. The Papiri saga evolves from trauma to template, affirming resolve where despair once reigned.