At least 50 of over 300 students abducted from Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, have managed to escape and been safely reunited with their families, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The kidnapping, which occurred on Friday, November 21, also involved 12 teachers, marking one of the largest school abductions in Nigeria’s recent history.

Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN’s chairman in Niger State, urged continued prayers for the safe return of the remaining students and staff, noting the partial escapes as a small relief amid the ongoing crisis.

This abduction follows a similar attack in Kebbi State just four days earlier, where gunmen kidnapped 25 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Maga town and killed the vice-principal. One of the girls has since escaped, but 24 remain missing. Both attacks remain unclaimed, and the perpetrators’ identities are still unknown.

Authorities—including police, military, and local hunters—have launched extensive search-and-rescue operations, combing nearby forests and escape routes to recover the missing students and teachers.

International Response:

• UNICEF condemned the abductions as a “brutal and grave violation of children’s rights” and called for the immediate and safe release of the victims.
• US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to discuss ways to address violence targeting Christians, as part of broader engagement on security.
• The Nigerian government rejected claims framing the attacks as solely religious persecution, highlighting that Muslim communities are also frequently targeted by armed groups.

These incidents have heightened security concerns for schools in northern and northwestern Nigeria, where armed kidnappings have become a recurring threat.