By Mark Tanos
Fifty schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in north-central Nigeria escaped captivity and returned to their families, school authorities announced Sunday.
The students, aged 10 to 18, fled individually between Friday and Saturday after gunmen seized 303 people from St. Mary’s School in Niger state’s remote Papiri community, according to The Associated Press. A total of 253 students and 12 teachers remain in captivity, according to Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the school’s proprietor.
“We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents,” Yohanna said in a statement.
Authorities have not disclosed where the captives are being held or how the 50 children managed to escape. No group has claimed responsibility for the Friday attack. (RELATED: Gunmen Execute Teacher Before Mass Abduction Of Nigerian Schoolgirls)
Pope Leo calls for the release of hostages in Nigeria and Cameroon pic.twitter.com/mdJ6SMaaGQ
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) November 23, 2025
Pope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of the remaining hostages during a mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
“I feel great sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families,” the pontiff said. “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release.”
The attack occurred four days after gunmen kidnapped 25 schoolchildren in neighboring Kebbi state, 106 miles away. Armed gangs in northern Nigeria frequently target schools for ransom payments. At least 1,500 students have been abducted since the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping more than a decade ago.
Niger state closed all schools following Friday’s attack. President Bola Tinubu vowed his government “will not relent until every hostage is freed.”
