Fifty children escape after mass kidnapping at Nigerian Catholic School

By The Inspirer.

At least 50 of the more than 300 children abducted from a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria have escaped their captors, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed on Sunday.

Armed men stormed St. Mary’s Co-Education School in Niger State on Friday, seizing 303 students and 12 teachers in what has become one of the largest mass kidnappings in the country’s history. The attack came just days after gunmen raided another secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi State, abducting 25 girls.

CAN said the escaped children reunited with their families between Friday and Saturday. However, the majority of victims—boys and girls aged between 8 and 18—remain missing. St. Mary’s has a total student population of 629, meaning almost half its students were taken.

The Nigerian government has not yet released an official statement on the number of students and staff abducted.

“We receive the return of these 50 children with relief, but we urge everyone to continue praying for the rescue of all remaining victims,” said Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN chairperson in Niger State.

Growing security fears

The incident has intensified security concerns across Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, where mass abductions for ransom have become increasingly common. Many schools have shut their doors in fear of further attacks. Since nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in Chibok in 2014, criminal gangs have exploited weak security in remote areas, targeting boarding schools for ransom.

While most victims are eventually released after negotiations, communities continue to bear the trauma of repeated assaults.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday made “a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages,” expressing “deep sorrow” for the abducted children and their families during his address at the Angelus prayer.

In the United States, former President Donald Trump condemned the attacks, saying on Fox News Radio that “what’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.” He warned that the U.S. could consider military action in response to what he described as the persecution of Christians by radical Islamist groups.

The kidnappings come as Nigeria continues to battle a deadly Islamist insurgency in the northeast, where violence has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced about two million since 2019.