Fifty of 303 abducted Catholic schoolchildren in Niger state, Nigeria, have escaped; 253 pupils and 12 teachers remain captive as Pope Leo XIV pleads for their release.
Newsroom (24/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) Fifty of the 303 schoolchildren kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in north-central Nigeria have managed to escape their abductors and reunite with their families, school authorities confirmed Sunday. The breakthrough offered a rare glimmer of hope amid a wave of mass abductions that continue to plague Africa’s most populous nation.
The children, aged 10 to 18, fled individually between Friday and Saturday, according to Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger state and proprietor of St. Mary’s School in the remote Papiri community. “We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents,” Bishop Yohanna said in a statement. A total of 253 pupils and 12 teachers remain in captivity.
Speaking at the end of Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV expressed profound sorrow over the incident and issued an impassioned appeal for the hostages’ immediate release. “I feel great sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families,” the pontiff said. “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release.”
No group has claimed responsibility for Friday’s raid on St. Mary’s School, located near a major highway linking Yelwa and Mokwa towns in a region notorious for sprawling forests that serve as hideouts for armed gangs. Nigerian authorities have provided no updates on rescue operations, and it remains unclear how the 50 escapees made their way home or where the remaining hostages are being held.
The mass abduction in Niger state came just four days after gunmen seized 25 schoolchildren in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town, roughly 106 miles away. In response, Niger state authorities ordered the immediate closure of all schools, while the federal government shuttered several tertiary institutions in conflict-prone areas.
In a separate development, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced Sunday that 38 worshippers kidnapped during a deadly attack on the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku town last Tuesday have been freed. Two people were killed in that assault. President Bola Tinubu credited “the efforts of security agencies” for the release but offered no further details.
Kidnapping for ransom has become a grim hallmark of Nigeria’s insecurity crisis, particularly in the northwest and north-central regions where dozens of armed gangs operate with near impunity. Since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction that drew global outrage, at least 1,500 students have been taken nationwide, with many released only after substantial ransoms were paid.
Security analyst Confidence McHarry of Lagos-based SBM Intelligence noted that the absence of arrests and prosecutions continues to embolden criminal gangs. While there is little evidence that recent claims of “Christian persecution” in Nigeria — including statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump — have directly spurred attacks, the lack of consequences remains the primary driver, McHarry said.
President Tinubu, responding to the partial releases in Niger and Kebbi states, vowed an unrelenting fight against the scourge. “Let me be clear: I will not relent,” he said. “Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety — and under my watch, we will secure this nation and protect our people.”
As families in Papiri and beyond await word of the remaining 253 children and their teachers, Bishop Yohanna urged continued prayers: “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.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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