Fifty students abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic School in Niger State, northern Nigeria, have reunited with their families after managing to escape, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed on Sunday.
Armed bandits attacked the Catholic school on Friday, November 21, and kidnapped 303 children along with 12 teachers. The victims include boys and girls, some as young as ten, according to CAN.
In a statement, Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the CAN chairman in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, said the fifty escapees fled between Friday and Saturday and were unable to return to the school, prompting them to go straight home to their parents.
However, 253 children including 250 students and three children of staff along with 12 teachers, remain in captivity.
The mass abduction has drawn international concern. During his weekly Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Leo appealed for the “timely and appropriate” intervention of authorities to secure the release of those still held.
“I feel great pain, especially for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their anguished families,” the Pope said.
Friday’s attack is the latest in a growing wave of mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, where armed groups frequently target schools and religious institutions for ransom. The incident has forced several federal and state-run schools in the region to shut down temporarily over security fears.
The tension has been further heightened by other violent attacks in recent days. Earlier this week, gunmen opened fire on a church in neighboring Kwara State, killing two people and abducting several worshippers, including the pastor. In another incident, 25 female students were kidnapped from a government girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State, where the school’s vice principal was shot dead.
Nigeria continues to grapple with overlapping security crises, including banditry, religiously motivated attacks, and violent clashes fueled by communal and ethnic tensions, as well as disputes over land and water resources.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly cited such incidents in claims of a “mass slaughter” of Christians by Islamist insurgents claims that have drawn controversy but continue to shape international reactions to Nigeria’s security situation.