Fifty pupils abducted from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Niger State have escaped from their captors and reunited with families, leaving 253 people still in captivity.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State confirmed on Sunday, November 23, 2025, that the children escaped between Friday and Saturday following their abduction during a predawn attack on the school compound in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.
Armed men stormed the boarding school complex in the early hours of Friday, November 21, shooting a security guard and seizing students, pupils and staff. The attackers struck between 1am and 3am, forcing victims from dormitories into surrounding forests.
Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of CAN in Niger State and proprietor of St Mary’s School, provided the update through his media aide, Daniel Atori. The bishop explained that school officials discovered the escapes after contacting parents to verify the whereabouts of children who failed to return to campus.
“As of Sunday, 23rd November 2025, we have received some good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents,” the statement read. “The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and have reunited with their parents as they could not return to the school after they escaped.”
According to the latest figures, 236 primary school pupils, 14 secondary school students, three children belonging to staff members, and 12 staff remain with the abductors. The school operates both boarding and day sessions, with the primary section accommodating 430 pupils, including 377 boarders and 53 day students.
Initial reports indicated 215 students were taken alongside 12 staff members. However, after verification exercises on Saturday, authorities revised the total to 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers, discovering that 88 additional students were captured while attempting to flee during the attack.
Currently, aside from the 50 pupils who escaped, 141 pupils were not taken during the raid. The 253 people remaining in captivity represent one of Nigeria’s largest mass abductions in recent years.
The attack occurred four days after gunmen abducted 25 schoolgirls from a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi State’s Maga town, approximately 170 kilometers away. One girl later escaped, with 24 still missing. No group has claimed responsibility for either abduction.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago announced the immediate closure of all schools in the state following the incident. Speaking after meeting with security officials in Minna on Saturday, Bago declared an early Christmas holiday for all educational institutions as a protective measure.
President Bola Tinubu cancelled his planned trip to the G20 summit in South Africa to focus on the crisis. Vice President Kashim Shettima attended in his place. The presidency confirmed the change through official channels.
Security agencies, including police tactical units and military personnel, have been deployed alongside local hunters to search forests where the abductors are believed to be hiding. Authorities received intelligence warnings about increased threats in the area before the attack occurred.
The Niger State government blamed school management for violating a security directive issued weeks earlier based on intelligence reports. Secretary to the State Government Abubakar Usman stated the school had been instructed to close temporarily due to security concerns but remained open for classes.
Reverend Yohanna disputed this claim, stating the school received no circular about the directive. “We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling the government’s statement false.
Residents described scenes of panic as families searched for missing children. Dauda Chekula, 62, told international media that four of his grandchildren, aged seven to 10, were taken. “We don’t know what is happening now because we have not heard anything since this morning,” he said.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed that a security guard was badly shot during the attack. St Mary’s complex includes more than 50 buildings with classrooms and dormitories, located close to a major road connecting Yelwa and Mokwa towns.
Reverend Yohanna appealed for continued prayers and calm as rescue efforts continue. “We urge everyone to remain calm and prayerful as we collaborate with security agencies, community leaders and government authorities to ensure the safe and swift return of all abductees,” he stated.
The abductions occurred weeks after United States President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as targeted killings of Nigeria’s Christians. The Nigerian government rejected this narrative, stating that Muslims constitute the majority of victims in attacks by armed groups.
Armed criminal gangs have intensified operations in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, conducting kidnappings for ransom and killing thousands. The gangs operate from camps in vast forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states, where limited state presence enables their activities.
School kidnappings have become a defining security challenge in Africa’s most populous nation. Armed groups view educational institutions as strategic targets that generate attention and pressure on authorities. The Chibok schoolgirl abduction by Boko Haram jihadists in 2014, which saw nearly 300 girls seized, remains etched in national memory, with some still missing more than a decade later.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
