Fifty children who were among more than 300 abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State, Nigeria, have escaped from their captors, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said on Sunday.
Gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Co-Education Catholic School on Friday, seizing 303 children and 12 teachers in what has become one of the largest school kidnappings in the country. The victims, aged between eight and 18, make up nearly half of the school’s 600-plus student population.
CAN said the 50 children escaped between Friday and Saturday and reunited safely with their families. However, 251 primary pupils, 14 secondary students and 12 teachers are still being held.
The attack took place just days after another kidnapping in neighbouring Kebbi State, where 25 schoolgirls were taken from a secondary school. Only one girl managed to escape, and the rest remain missing. Security forces say they have identified possible locations where the victims are being held.
The Nigerian government has not yet released official details on the number of abducted students or teachers.
Niger State CAN chairman and school owner, Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, called for continued prayers and urged authorities to intensify rescue efforts. “We receive the escape of these 50 children with relief, but we must keep praying for the remaining victims,” he said.
Nigeria has faced rising insecurity, especially in rural areas where schools have become frequent targets for kidnappers seeking ransom. Since the abduction of nearly 300 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram more than a decade ago, school kidnappings have become widespread, mostly carried out by armed criminal gangs.
Gunmen often target remote boarding schools where security is weak. Most victims are freed after negotiations, but the repeated attacks have forced many schools across the country to close temporarily.
On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV appealed for the immediate release of the hostages, expressing “deep sorrow” for the abducted children and their families during the Angelus prayer at the Vatican.
International concern is also growing. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Fox News Radio that the situation in Nigeria was “a disgrace,” warning that continued persecution of Christians by radical groups could prompt U.S. intervention.
Local religious leaders reported that the attackers freely moved through school dormitories for nearly three hours without interference.
Nigeria is also battling a deadly Islamist insurgency, particularly in the northeast, where more than 40,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since 2019.
Activists say the government is not doing enough. Ayesha Yesufu, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, said kidnappings persist because authorities “are doing nothing” to stop the crisis. She accused leaders of focusing more on public relations than on protecting citizens.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, head of the World Trade Organization, said she was deeply saddened by the continuous abductions. “As a mother, I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings of our children and teachers,” she posted on X.
The search and rescue efforts for the remaining victims from both Niger and Kebbi states continue as fears rise over Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
