50 Nigerian Students Escape, Hundreds Still Held Captive After Catholic School Attack [WATCH]

Fifty students kidnapped from a Catholic school in Nigeria on Friday have escaped and reunited with their families, officials announced Sunday, while more than 250 students and 12 teachers remain held captive, as reported by Fox News.

The attack prompted widespread school closures across Niger State and renewed international attention on a surge of violent abductions targeting Christians in the region.

The Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State and proprietor of St. Mary’s School, said the students who escaped ranged in age from 10 to 18.

He said they fled individually between Friday and Saturday. “We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents,” Yohanna said.

Officials did not release details about how the students escaped or where the remaining hostages were being held.

Nigeria: These Christians rejoice upon learning their relatives were released.

Islamists kidnapped 38 believers at their church in Ekuru, Kwara State last week.

There are also reports that 51 Christian children – kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State by… pic.twitter.com/enNMwvBbzx

— Christian Emergency Alliance (@ChristianEmerg1) November 23, 2025

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A total of 253 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School are still missing following the mass kidnapping. No group has claimed responsibility.

According to The Associated Press, tactical squads and local hunters have joined efforts to locate and rescue the captives.

The kidnapping occurred just days after gunmen abducted 25 girls from a boarding school in Kebbi State, killing at least one staff member. Authorities are still searching for the missing girls.

Nigerian officials responded by shutting down schools in multiple states. Niger State ordered all schools to close immediately, and the federal government suspended operations at several colleges in high-risk areas.

The attack drew swift international reaction. At the end of Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened” by the kidnapping.

“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.”

In a separate incident, 38 worshippers kidnapped during a church attack in Kwara State were released, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced Sunday.

Gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku on Tuesday, killing two people before taking hostages. President Bola Tinubu credited “the efforts of security agencies” for securing the release of the abducted worshippers, though he provided no additional information.

The surge in attacks on Christian communities and institutions has drawn condemnation from U.S. officials as well. President Donald Trump has designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” due to escalating violence against Christians.

Speaking to Fox News Radio on Friday, Trump said, “I’m really angry about it. What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”

Nigeria continues to face widespread security challenges involving armed gangs, extremist organizations, and targeted attacks on religious groups. Authorities have not announced any arrests or identified a suspect group in the St. Mary’s School abduction.

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