50 Children Escape Captivity After Mass Kidnapping at Nigerian Catholic School: Security Crisis Deepens

A school dormitory stands damaged following an attack by armed assailants on a girls' boarding school in Kebbi state.

At least 50 children from the group of over 300 abducted by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria have managed to escape, according to a Christian organization's Sunday statement. Simultaneously, Nigeria's president announced the successful rescue of 38 worshippers who were kidnapped during a separate incident last week.

Armed attackers raided St Mary's co-educational institution in Niger state on Friday, abducting 303 students and 12 teachers in one of Nigeria's largest mass kidnappings to date.

This incident followed another kidnapping just days earlier when gunmen stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 girls captive on Monday.

On Tuesday, armed individuals invaded a church in Kwara State in an attack that was recorded and shared online. The footage showed the service being disrupted by gunfire, with congregants fleeing amid screams heard from outside.

"We have received some good news, as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents," the Christian Association of Nigeria stated in their announcement.

The number of children – boys and girls between eight and 18 years old – abducted from St Mary's represents nearly half of the school's total student population of over 600.

While the Nigerian government has not officially confirmed the number of children taken from the school, President Bola Tinubu stated on social media platform X that "51 out of the missing students of the Catholic School...have been recovered."

In the same communication, Tinubu added, "Thanks to the efforts of our security forces over the last few days, all the 38 worshippers kidnapped in Eruku, Kwara State, have been rescued."

"I will not relent. Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety -- and under my watch, we will secure this nation and protect our people," the president affirmed.

Growing security concerns in Africa's most populous nation have triggered widespread school closures across portions of the country.

Since Islamist militants abducted nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok town more than ten years ago, Nigeria has faced repeated mass kidnappings, primarily executed by criminal organizations seeking ransom payments.

Armed groups frequently target remote boarding schools where limited security presence creates vulnerable targets. Most victims are eventually released following negotiations.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday made "a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages".

He expressed his "deep sorrow, especially for the many young boys and girls kidnapped and for their anguished families," following the Angelus prayer.

The two kidnapping operations and the church attack in western Nigeria, which resulted in two deaths and dozens abducted, occurred as US President Donald Trump threatened military intervention regarding what he described as persecution of Christians by radical Islamists in Nigeria.

When questioned about the recent attacks and kidnappings on Fox News Radio, Trump stated "what's happening in Nigeria is a disgrace".

Nearly a week after their capture, two dozen school girls in neighboring Kebbi state remain missing.

Security forces have identified potential holding locations, according to a security source. Only one of the 25 abducted girls managed to escape earlier in the week.

Nigeria is simultaneously battling a deadly Islamist insurgency in the northeastern region, where violence has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced approximately two million people since its eruption in 2019.

Aisha Yesufu, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement that championed the release of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram 11 years ago, asserted that kidnappings persist because "authorities are doing nothing" to address the crisis.

"They're more interested in the propaganda of...not looking inept and incompetent, rather than actually being interested in the protection of rights and properties," she told AFP.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian chief of the World Trade Organization, expressed on X that "As a mother I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings in our country, particularly of our children and teachers from places of learning."