Around 50 Students Escape After Mass Kidnapping at Nigerian School; 253 Still Missing

Abhuja: Approximately 50 of the 314 students abducted by an armed group in Nigeria have reportedly managed to escape. According to the Catholic Church and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the students returned home after slipping away from their captors. However, there is still no information about the remaining 253 abducted students.

The kidnapping took place at St. Mary’s School in Papiri, located in Niger State. The incident occurred on Friday, when an armed group stormed the school and abducted 315 people, including 12 teachers and 303 students. The attack came just four days after 25 schoolchildren were kidnapped in Maga town in neighboring Kebbi State.

Father Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairperson of the CAN Niger chapter, visited the school and met with the parents of the abducted children. He stated that the association is working with the government and security agencies to ensure the safe return of the students.

Attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria have been on the rise. U.S. President Donald Trump had recently remarked that military intervention could be considered if necessary.

Remote villages with limited government and security presence have increasingly become targets of armed groups. Maga, where the recent kidnapping in Kebbi took place, is a Muslim-majority region. UNICEF had earlier warned that only 37% of schools in 10 conflict-affected states have proper security alert systems in place. The extremist group Boko Haram has previously carried out multiple school abductions in the country.