50 Nigerian schoolchildren escape kidnappers; 38 church worshippers rescued

LAGOS: At least 50 of the more than 300 children abducted by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria have managed to escape, a Christian organization reported on Sunday. Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu announced the rescue of 38 worshippers who were kidnapped in a separate attack last week.

On Friday, armed men attacked St Mary’s co-educational school in Niger state, abducting 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in the country.

The incident came just days after another raid in neighbouring Kebbi state, where gunmen abducted 25 girls on Monday.

On Tuesday, a church in Kwara state was stormed in an attack that was recorded and shared online, showing worshippers fleeing as gunfire interrupted the service. Two people were killed, but the 38 individuals taken hostage were later rescued by security forces, President Tinubu said on his X account.

In a separate statement, the Christian Association of Nigeria said, “we have received some good news as fifty (St Mary’s) pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents.” The abducted children, aged between eight and 18, represent nearly half of the school’s student body of more than 600.

The Nigerian government has not confirmed the total number of children taken, but Tinubu posted that “51 out of the missing” Catholic school students “have been recovered.”

“I will not relent,” he pledged, “and under my watch, we will secure this nation and protect our people.”

Growing security concerns in Africa’s most populous country have led to numerous school closures in affected regions.

Since nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Islamist militants in Chibok over a decade ago, Nigeria has repeatedly faced mass abductions, mostly carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom. These gangs frequently target remote boarding schools with limited security, and most hostages are eventually released after negotiations.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday issued “a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages.” He also expressed his “deep sorrow, especially for the many young boys and girls kidnapped and for their anguished families” at the conclusion of the Angelus prayer.

The recent kidnappings and church raid occurred as US President Donald Trump warned of potential military action over what he described as the persecution of Christians by radical Islamists in Nigeria. Speaking to Fox News Radio about the attacks, Trump said, “what’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”

Nearly a week after their capture, 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi state remain missing. Security forces have identified locations where they may be held, according to a source, though only one of the 25 girls has escaped so far.

In another incident, 13 women and girls, aged 16 to 23, were kidnapped while walking home from farms in Borno state on Saturday, a local official told AFP. One girl was later freed after revealing she was married.

“They are all Muslim,” said Abubakar Mazhinyi, chairman of Askira-Uba district, adding that the abductions occurred 20 kilometres from Sambisa forest, a former game reserve that has become a jihadist stronghold in Borno state.

Beyond criminal gangs, Nigeria continues to battle a violent Islamist insurgency in the northeast, which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced roughly two million since 2019.

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