Fifty of the more than 300 children abducted from a Catholic school in Niger state, Nigeria, have escaped from their captors, a Christian group said on Sunday.
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The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said the children reunited with their families after escaping between Friday and Saturday. The statement offered a rare piece of positive news amid one of Nigeria’s largest school kidnappings.
Gunmen raided St Mary’s co-educational school on Friday, abducting 303 pupils and 12 teachers. The victims, aged between eight and 18, represent almost half of the school’s student population of 629. The Nigerian government has not yet commented on the precise number of children and staff taken.
Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN chairman in Niger state, called for continued prayers for the remaining hostages. “As much as we receive the return of these 50 children that escaped with some sigh of relief, I urge you all to continue in your prayers for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims,” he said.
The kidnappings follow an earlier attack on Monday in Kebbi state, where gunmen abducted 25 girls from a secondary school, raising security fears across the country and prompting school closures. Following these incidents, the national education ministry ordered 47 boarding secondary schools across Nigeria to close.
Pope Leo XIV also condemned the kidnappings and called for the immediate release of the hostages. “I learned with immense sadness the news of the kidnappings of priests, faithful, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon,” he said during the Angelus prayer. “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages, expressing deep sorrow, especially for the many young boys and girls kidnapped and for their anguished families. Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours and that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope.”
The recent attacks come amid a broader pattern of violence targeting Christians and educational institutions in Nigeria. A church in the western part of the country was also attacked recently, leaving two dead and several people abducted.
The kidnappings have drawn international attention. US President Donald Trump warned of potential military action in response to what he described as the persecution of Christians by radical Islamist groups in Nigeria.
Nigeria remains haunted by the 2014 abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno state, by the Boko Haram jihadist group. More than a decade later, some of those girls are still missing, leaving families and communities in anguish.
Authorities continue efforts to secure the release of the remaining students from St Mary’s, while parents and local communities await news on their safe return.
