Fifty of the more than 300 students abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State last week have escaped and reunited with their families, officials of the Catholic Church and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed on Sunday.
Despite the relief, approximately 253 victims — including 12 staff members and teachers — remain in captivity, according to CAN Chairman and Catholic Bishop Bulus Yohanna, who also owns the school.
In a statement, Bishop Yohanna said the pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday, prompting anxious parents to rush to the school premises as news of the breakout spread.
One of the distraught parents, Amose Ibrahim — whose youngest child is just six years old — told Reuters he had hurried to the school hoping to find one of his three children among the escapees.
“Unfortunately, they were not among the escapees,” he said. “As of now, many parents and their loved ones are roaming around the school.”
Nationwide Impact and International Concern
The mass abduction, one of the most significant in recent years, has triggered widespread concern and forced authorities to shut 47 colleges across northern Nigeria as a precaution against further attacks.
The incident is the latest in a disturbing pattern of targeted school kidnappings that has plagued northern states, disrupting education and heightening insecurity.
Pope Leo Calls for Immediate Release
Reacting to the crisis, Pope Leo on Sunday issued a passionate plea for the immediate release of the remaining hostages.
“I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages,” the Pope declared after Mass at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, describing the situation as one of the worst school kidnappings in the country’s history.
