Fifty of the 315 children abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, have managed to escape, delivering a moment of hope in one of Nigeria’s worst mass kidnappings in years. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, the children were safely reunited with their families after fleeing their captors between Friday and Saturday in what officials describe as a daring and dangerous escape.
Security forces have launched a large-scale military-led search for the remaining 265 students and 12 teachers still missing. The abduction triggered widespread alarm, prompting several northern states—including Kebbi, Niger, Katsina, Yobe, and Kwara—to order immediate school closures due to rising threats from armed groups.
The rescue effort comes amid a string of recent attacks. In Kwara State, 38 worshippers kidnapped from a church service last week were released on Sunday, though two victims were killed during the assault. And on Monday, more than 20 schoolgirls were seized from a boarding school in Kebbi State, escalating fears of further coordinated kidnappings.
Families of the Papiri victims remain devastated. One mother told the BBC through tears that her nieces, aged just six and 13, were taken. Another parent, Dominic Adamu, whose daughters attend St. Mary’s but were not abducted, described the community as “weak” and stunned by the incident.
Authorities say armed men stormed the school at around 02:00 local time, taking students who were asleep in the boarding facilities. Officials also allege the school ignored a closure order issued after intelligence reports warned of imminent attacks — a claim St. Mary’s has not addressed.
President Bola Tinubu has cancelled foreign trips, including his planned attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa, to focus on the worsening security crisis.
The kidnappings have reignited debates internationally, especially after comments from US right-wing figures including President Donald Trump, who claim Christians are being targeted in Nigeria. Nigerian officials have firmly dismissed this narrative, arguing that extremists attack Muslims, Christians, and non-believers alike, with most victims being Muslim due to the concentration of attacks in the north.
Kidnapping for ransom—carried out by criminal gangs known locally as bandits—has become a persistent and lucrative industry across the region, despite laws outlawing ransom payments. The crisis draws comparisons to the 2014 Chibok abduction, when Boko Haram seized 276 schoolgirls. Though many have escaped or been freed, around 100 remain missing.
Security forces, local vigilantes, and community volunteers continue to comb forests and remote pathways in the hunt for the remaining St. Mary’s captives, as the nation watches in anguish and hopes for their safe return.