Fifty out of the 315 children seized by gunmen from a Catholic school in Niger State on Friday have managed to break free. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, the rescued pupils are now safely back with their families.
A massive military-led search is underway for the remaining 265 children and 12 teachers who were kidnapped alongside them. The abduction has triggered widespread school closures across several northern states following another incident in Kebbi on Monday, where 20 students were taken from a boarding school.
In a separate case, 38 people kidnapped during a church service in Kwara last week regained their freedom on Sunday, the state governor confirmed. Two people were killed in the attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku.
Authorities in Kebbi, Niger, Katsina, Yobe, and Kwara have ordered many schools to shut down as a protective measure. The news of the children’s escape has brought some relief to a nation exhausted by repeated mass kidnappings.
A Christian group involved in the situation said the pupils slipped away from their captors between Friday and Saturday in what is being described as a daring escape. The hostages were taken from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, with earlier reports listing 303 students and 12 teachers. The number surpasses the 276 girls abducted in Chibok in 2014.
Armed men reportedly stormed the school around 02:00, targeting students sleeping in the boarding area. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bongo ordered all area schools to close on Saturday, warning that “this is not the time for blame.”
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep sorrow and urged swift action to secure the victims’ release. Parents remain devastated. One woman told the BBC through tears that her nieces, ages six and 13, were among those taken.
Security forces, police, and vigilantes are combing forests and remote routes believed to have been used by the kidnappers. Authorities say the school ignored an earlier order to shut down boarding facilities after security warnings, though the school has not commented.
Kidnapping for ransom by criminal groups, locally known as bandits has become rampant across Nigeria. Although ransom payments are now illegal, the practice continues.
On Monday, more than 20 schoolgirls, said to be Muslim, were kidnapped in Kebbi, prompting the shutdown of secondary schools and colleges in the state.
President Bola Tinubu postponed foreign trips, including the G20 summit in South Africa, to address the mounting security crisis.
These attacks come amid claims from some right-wing voices in the US, including Donald Trump, accusing Nigerian authorities of allowing persecution of Christians, claims the Nigerian government strongly rejects. Officials say extremists target anyone who opposes their violent ideology, regardless of religion.
Jihadist groups have waged war in the northeast for over a decade, with most victims being Muslim due to the region’s demographics. Central Nigeria also faces deadly clashes between mostly Muslim herders and largely Christian farmers conflicts often driven more by resources than religion.
