A signboard for St. Mary's Private Catholic School stands at the entrance of the school in Papiri, Niger state - Ifeanyi Immanuel Bakwenye/AFP/Getty Images
A Christian ministry revealed on Sunday that more than 250 children and teachers are still in captivity in Nigeria. They are held after a large-scale kidnapping from a Catholic school. However, 50 students managed to escape.
303 students and 12 teachers were kidnapped on Friday when armed gunmen attacked St. Mary’s coeducational school in Niger State. One of the biggest mass kidnappings in the nation occurred during this time.
Details of the Abductions
St Mary’s School, Niger State:
- Total Abducted: 303 students (aged 8 to 18) and 12 teachers.
- Escaped/Recovered: 50 students, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
- Still Missing: Approximately 253 individuals (students and staff) remain in captivity. The abducted students represent almost half of the school’s total population of over 600.
Worshippers in Kwara State: In a separate incident, President Bola Tinubu announced on social media platform X. He stated that all 38 worshippers abducted from a church in Eruku, Kwara State, had been rescued by security forces.
Girls’ School, Kebbi State: Additionally, 24 girls remain missing. Gunmen raided a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state earlier in the week. They abducted 25 girls. Only one managed to escape
Numerous schools across the nation have been forced to close as a result of the an increase of insecurity.
Pope Leo XIV made “a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages” during his Sunday speech. He drew attention to the situation on a global scale.
Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, declared, “I will not back down. “Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety,” the statement said after the Kwara worshippers were saved.
Detractors such as Aisha Yesufu, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, have voiced their concerns. This movement launched a campaign following the kidnapping of Chibok more than ten years ago. They argue that authorities are not doing enough to stop the situation. Instead, they focus more on “propaganda” than “protection.”
For ten years, Nigeria has experienced widespread kidnappings, which are frequently the result of criminal groups demanding ransom. Due to their low level of security, these groups often target isolated boarding schools, which are seen as soft targets.
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