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50 Students Escape Mass Kidnapping in Niger State; More Than 250 Children and Teachers Still Held

Fifty pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic School in Niger State escaped and have been reunited with family, CAN said. Of the 303 children and 12 teachers initially taken, 253 children and 12 teachers remain captive.

The Pope urged authorities to act for their release. Separate attacks in Kwara and Kebbi states have left people dead and other students kidnapped, underscoring a wider wave of banditry, communal conflict and extremist violence affecting both Christians and Muslims.

07:41 PM, 11/23/2025Conflict
50 Students Escape Mass Kidnapping in Niger State; More Than 250 Children and Teachers Still Held

Fifty pupils who were abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic School in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, managed to escape their captors between Friday and Saturday and have been reunited with their families, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said.

CAN said armed attackers had taken 303 children and 12 teachers from the school. The abducted students included both boys and girls, some as young as 10. Daniel Atori, spokesman for CAN’s Niger State chapter, said the escaped children were unable to return to the school immediately after fleeing and were reunited with relatives and guardians.

Atori added that 253 children remain in captivity — a figure that includes 250 students taken from the school and three children related to school staff — and 12 teachers are still being held.

The Pope appealed for the immediate release of the students and teachers during his weekly Angelus prayer, urging authorities to take "appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release." He expressed deep sorrow for the abducted children and their anguished families.

Friday’s mass abduction is the latest in a series of attacks by armed groups that target civilians and often carry out large-scale kidnappings to demand ransom. The spike in violence has led some federal and state schools in northern Nigeria to close temporarily as parents and officials try to reduce the risk of further attacks.

Earlier this week, gunmen attacked a church in neighbouring Kwara State, killing at least two people and abducting several worshippers, including the pastor. In a separate incident in Kebbi State, armed men stormed a government girls’ boarding school, kidnapped 25 female students and fatally shot the school’s vice-principal.

Analysts say the widespread insecurity reflects a mix of criminal banditry, communal and ethnic tensions, disputes over land and water between farmers and herders, and attacks by extremist groups. Both Christian and Muslim communities have suffered in the ongoing violence.

Local and national authorities say they are working to secure the safe release of those still in captivity and to strengthen protection for schools and vulnerable communities. CAN and community leaders have called for urgent government action and increased security patrols while appeals continue for the hostages’ release.

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