By Hollie SilvermanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA group of 50 schoolchildren have escaped from their abductors after being kidnapped from St. Mary’s School in Nigeria’s Niger state on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
The children, who range in age from 10 to 18, all escaped between Friday and Saturday individually, the Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said in a statement on Sunday.
Meanwhile, efforts to recover the remaining 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers continue.
Newsweek has reached out to CAN by email Sunday for more information.
Why It Matters
With school abductions becoming an emblem of insecurity in Africa’s most populous country, the incident underscores the persistent threat posed by armed gangs targeting educational institutions for ransom and notoriety.
The episode has triggered international concern, highlighting broader issues of government security, access to education, and community vulnerability in northern Nigeria.
The kidnapping comes as the persecution of Christians in Nigeria has garnered global attention, with Pope Leo XIV, President Donald Trump and rapper Nicki Minaj all speaking out against the issue.
What To Know
Fifty of the 303 schoolchildren abducted during an attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in the remote Papiri community of Niger state in north-central Nigeria escaped captivity between Friday and Saturday.
The children have since reunited with their families, according to Yohanna.
Gunmen stormed the boarding school in the early hours of Friday, seizing students and staff. According to CAN, a total of 315 people—303 students and 12 teachers—were taken.
As of Sunday, 253 schoolchildren and all the teachers remain in captivity. School authorities said it's unclear where the hostages are being held or how the escapees managed to elude their abductors.
Nigeria’s military and police did not issue immediate updates on ongoing rescue efforts. Authorities stated that tactical squads and local hunters have been deployed to pursue the kidnappers.
St. Mary’s School is attached to an adjoining primary school complex with more than 50 classrooms and dormitories and is located near the Yelwa-Mokwa highway.
The attack came days after a similar incident in neighboring Kebbi state where 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a high school, with one reportedly escaping and returning safely.
As a result of Friday's kidnapping, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education has ordered the closure of nearly 50 federal colleges and a number of local schools in conflict-prone areas.
National and regional authorities have traded blame over prior warnings, with the Niger state government claiming the school ignored instructions to remain closed—a claim school officials deny, NBC News reported.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Analysts say "bandits"—armed gangs often made up of former herders—target schools and villages for ransom, exploiting weak security in remote regions. The spate of abductions has continued despite increased military deployments and international scrutiny, including warnings and proposed sanctions from the U.S. government.
...What People Are Saying
Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN chairman and school proprietor, said in a Sunday statement: “As much as we receive the return of these 50 children that escaped with some sigh of relief, I urge you all to continue in your prayers for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims.”
Pope Leo XIV said during a Sunday Mass according to the Vatican News: "I feel deep sorrow...especially for the many boys and girls who have been abducted, and for their anguished families. I make a heartfelt appeal that the hostages be immediately released, and I urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their liberation...Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours, that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope.”
Dauda Chekula, whose four grandchildren were abducted, told the AP on Friday: “We don’t know what is happening now, because we have not heard anything since this morning…The children who were able to escape have scattered, some of them ran back to their houses and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.”
Yohanna Buru, pastor and head of the Peace Revival And Reconciliation Foundation, told the AP on Friday: “If the government was doing enough, then rampant kidnappings all over the country would not have happened. It’s as if they don’t care about the future of our children.”
President Donald Trump, via Truth Social in early November: “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”
Nicki Minaj, musician and advocate, posted on X on November 1: “We live in a country where we can freely worship God. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other. Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice. Thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer."
What Happens Next?
Security forces, local hunters, and tactical squads remain deployed in Niger state and neighboring regions in efforts to locate and rescue the remaining people.
The government faces increasing domestic and international pressure to secure the release of those still captive and to address the underlying causes of insecurity that have allowed mass abductions to persist.
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