Nigeria is reporting a breakthrough in a kidnapping case that horrified the nation and drew international condemnation, with local media confirming that 100 children taken from St. Mary’s School in Papiri have now been freed.
According to Fox News, the students were abducted on Nov. 21 in Niger state, prompting outrage across the country and renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s ability to protect vulnerable communities from armed groups that frequently target schools.
Channels Television reported the release on Sunday, though details surrounding the operation remain scarce.
The kidnapping underscored a troubling pattern that has placed Nigeria under intensifying global pressure. Christian communities, in particular, have faced escalating attacks — a reality that led President Donald Trump to label the nation a “country of particular concern” as violence surged.
Confusion over the scale of the abductions persisted in the days after the attack. The BBC cited Mary Barron, superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, who estimated that as many as 303 children had been taken.
Barron described the victims as “tiny,” noting that some were as young as six. She said about 50 students managed to escape shortly after the attack.
“They said they walked and walked, because they knew they couldn’t walk back to the school, so they just kept walking until they found something familiar,” Barron recounted.
Even with the newly announced release, hundreds remain missing. According to Barron, 253 students and 12 teachers are still held by their captors, leaving families without answers and officials unable to confirm how many children will ultimately return home.
The abductions also triggered a forceful reaction from President Trump, who accused Nigerian authorities of neglecting the growing violence.
“I’m really angry about it,” he said on Nov. 23. “What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”
American officials pressed Nigeria to show a stronger resolve. War Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Nigerian national security adviser Nuhu Ribadu shortly after the kidnappings and raised the possibility of cutting aid if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
In a statement, the Pentagon said Hegseth “emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians,” adding that the U.S. remains prepared to cooperate “by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States.”
The release of the 100 children marks a hopeful step, but with more than 250 others still unaccounted for, Nigeria faces mounting pressure — at home and abroad — to bring the remaining victims to safety and confront the forces behind the violence.
