In Nigeria, 303 children and 12 teachers abducted from Catholic school

People standing near a display of local newspapers with headlines about the abducted children from school. Photo: Sunday Alamba/AP

On November 22, 2025, a mass abduction of students and teachers occurred at St. Mary's Catholic school in Niger State, Nigeria. Fifty out of 303 students managed to escape and return home, while 253 children and 12 teachers remain captive. This was reported by CBS News.

According to the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State, children aged 10 to 18 managed to escape individually within a day after the attack. However, most hostages are still held by the armed group that attacked the school on Friday. Authorities have deployed tactical units and local hunters, but the whereabouts of the abducted remain unknown.

The situation has caused deep concern both in Nigeria and beyond. Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for the immediate release of all students and staff, expressing sorrow over the suffering of the families. State authorities have ordered the closure of all schools, and parents speak of the shock and fear they have lived in since the attack.

The attack occurred shortly after a similar abduction of 25 students in the neighboring Kebbi State. Mass kidnappings of children in northern Nigeria have become a common tactic of armed gangs, using hostages for ransom and pressure on local communities where state structures are virtually absent.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu stated that his government will not relent until all the abducted are rescued. According to security experts, it is the impunity of criminals that continues to fuel the growing wave of kidnappings, which has become a symbol of the severe security crisis in the country.

Previously, the UOJ reported that 38 parishioners abducted by terrorists from a church were freed in Nigeria.

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