Fifty of the 303 students abducted from a Catholic school in Niger state, north-central Nigeria, have escaped captivity and returned to their families, authorities said Sunday, as Pope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of the remaining hostages.
According to The Associated Press, the students, aged 10 to 18, escaped individually between Friday and Saturday, according to Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and proprietor of St. Mary’s School.
“We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents,” Yohanna said. A total of 253 students and 12 teachers are still being held.
The attack occurred on Friday when gunmen targeted the remote Catholic school in the Papiri community, seizing children and staff. Authorities have not identified the perpetrators or shared updates on rescue efforts.
The school is located near a major road linking Yelwa and Mokwa, a region frequently used by armed gangs operating across forested areas.
Pope Leo XIV expressed his deep sorrow over the abductions during Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. “I feel great sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families,” he said.
He made a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urged authorities to take swift action to secure their freedom.
The incident comes amid a wave of violence in Nigeria. In Kwara state, 38 worshippers kidnapped during a deadly church attack were recently released, according to Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
In the northeast, five police officers were killed in an ambush while responding to a farmer-herder conflict in Bauchi state, highlighting the nation’s ongoing security challenges.
School kidnappings have become a persistent threat in Nigeria, with armed gangs often targeting students for ransom.
Since the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping over a decade ago, at least 1,500 children have been abducted nationwide. The Niger state attack followed a similar incident in neighboring Kebbi state just days earlier.
Yohanna urged continued prayers for the safe return of the remaining captives. President Bola Tinubu also vowed that his government would not relent until every hostage is freed, emphasizing that “every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety.”
