At least 303 schoolchildren were abducted at the Niger State school along with 12 of their teachers when gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri community on November 21.
A total of 100 schoolchildren abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school last month have been released, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Monday, but scores of other pupils remain in captivity.
At least 303 schoolchildren were abducted at the Niger State school along with 12 of their teachers when gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri community on November 21.
Fifty students managed to escape in the hours that followed.
Quoting Daniel Atori, a spokesman for the association in Niger State, the Associated Press reported him as stating the church learned the children were released during the weekend and that they would be transported to Niger State’s capital of Minna to meet with officials.
It was not immediately clear how the 100 schoolchildren were freed or if any arrests were made.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions, but locals blamed armed gangs that target schools and travellers in kidnappings for ransoms across Nigeria’s conflict-battered north.
Before now, the Nigerian authorities have failed to say much about rescue efforts, and arrests in such cases are rare.
There have been unconfirmed claims that the Nigerian government pay ransoms to secure release of the kidnap victims.
While families welcome the release of some children, the fact that more than 100 remain in captivity underscores the ongoing threat to schools in northern Nigeria and the continuing challenge faced by authorities in securing the safe return of all victims.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that the Nigerian government secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
The children were part of the 315 people, 303 students and 12 teachers, seized when armed bandits stormed the remote community on November 21, 2025.
The attackers, riding on motorbikes, invaded the school around 2:00 a.m. and operated for nearly three hours, moving from dormitory to dormitory before herding their captives into the surrounding forests.
Although 50 pupils managed to escape within the first 24 hours, at least 265 victims, including 253 children and all 12 teachers, remained in captivity, prompting a national security emergency.
In response, the Nigerian government imposed a 24-hour security cordon around affected border communities and deployed both ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states.