Shoes abandoned on bunk beds, empty dormitories, and anxious parents—these images have come to symbolize the latest tragedy in Nigeria’s ongoing battle with mass kidnappings. On Friday, November 21, 2025, just after 2 a.m., armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in the remote Papiri community of Niger state, abducting between 303 and 315 schoolchildren, aged eight to eighteen, along with 12 teachers. The attack, one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s recent history, has once again thrust the nation’s security crisis into the global spotlight.
According to reports from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and multiple international outlets including the Associated Press and BBC, the children were taken from their dormitories at gunpoint. The scale of the abduction surpassed even the infamous 2014 Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping, which shocked the world and led to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. As news of the latest attack broke, families rushed to the school, desperate for any word of their loved ones.
In a rare glimmer of hope, CAN announced on Sunday that fifty of the abducted children had managed to escape their captors between Friday and Saturday. The group described their flight as a "brave and risky attempt" to flee through the dense forests that connect Nigeria’s conflict-ridden states. The children, once reunited with their families, brought a measure of relief to a nation agonizing over the fate of hundreds more still in captivity. As of Sunday, 253 schoolchildren and all 12 teachers remained missing, according to CAN chairman Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna.
Yohanna, who also serves as the school’s proprietor, urged continued prayers and support for the remaining hostages. "As much as we receive the return of these 50 children that escaped with some sigh of relief, I urge you all to continue in your prayers for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims," he said in a statement published by the Associated Press.
The military, police, and local vigilante groups have since launched a massive search and rescue operation, combing the forests and remote routes believed to be used by the gunmen. Yet, as of Sunday, the Nigerian government had not commented on the exact number of abducted students and teachers, and no group had claimed responsibility for the attack. The lack of official updates has only deepened the anguish of waiting families.
This latest incident is not an isolated one. Just days earlier, on Monday, November 18, 2025, 20 pupils were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi state, a Muslim-majority region. In another attack on Tuesday, November 18, gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara state, killing two people and abducting 38 worshippers. By Sunday, those worshippers had been freed, a development attributed by Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to the efforts of security agencies. But the cycle of violence and kidnapping continues unabated.
In response to the Niger state abduction, authorities ordered the closure of all schools in Niger and several neighboring states, including Kebbi, Katsina, Yobe, and Kwara. Niger state governor Mohammed Umaru Bongo emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “This is not a time for blame game.” Some federal colleges in conflict hotspots across the region were also closed as a precaution.
According to the BBC, local police alleged that St. Mary’s School had disregarded an earlier order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of a heightened risk of attacks. The school has not commented on these allegations, but the incident underscores the persistent vulnerability of educational institutions in Nigeria’s north and central regions.
Pope Leo XIV addressed the crisis at the end of Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, expressing "deep sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families." In his public appeal, he called for the "immediate release of the hostages and urge[d] the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release." The pontiff’s words echoed across the globe, drawing international attention to the plight of Nigeria’s missing children.
The frequency of such attacks has led to growing fears and frustration among Nigerians. Since the Chibok abduction in 2014, at least 1,500 students have been seized in Nigeria, with many released only after ransom payments. Despite government efforts to outlaw ransom payments, the practice persists, fueling the criminal economy of so-called "bandits"—armed gangs who dominate remote communities where government and security presence is thin.
Confidence McHarry, a security analyst at Lagos-based SBM Intelligence, told the Associated Press that "the absence of consequences is what is fuelling these attacks." Arrests are rare, and the government’s inability to protect vulnerable communities has eroded public trust.
The political ramifications of the crisis have reached the highest levels of government. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu postponed foreign trips, including to the G20 summit in South Africa, to address the security emergency. In a statement, Tinubu vowed, "Let me be clear: I will not relent. Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety — and under my watch, we will secure this nation and protect our people." His administration has promised to intensify efforts to rescue the hostages and prevent further attacks.
Meanwhile, the crisis has become a flashpoint in international debates over religious persecution. Right-wing figures in the United States, including former President Donald Trump, have claimed that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria. Trump recently said he would send troops "guns a-blazing" if the Nigerian government "continues to allow the killing of Christians." However, the Nigerian government and multiple analysts have dismissed these claims as a "gross misrepresentation of reality," noting that attacks affect both Christians and Muslims. An official told the BBC that "terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology—Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike."
Indeed, the attacks in Kebbi and Kwara states targeted both Muslim and Christian communities. In the north-east, jihadist groups such as Boko Haram have waged a deadly insurgency for more than a decade, with most victims being Muslim due to the region’s demographic makeup. In central Nigeria, violence between herders and farmers—often along religious lines—has been driven more by competition for resources than by ideology.
For families like that of Dominic Adamu, whose daughters attend St. Mary’s but were not taken, the ordeal is deeply personal. “Everybody is weak... It took everybody by surprise,” he told the BBC. Another woman, whose nieces aged six and thirteen were kidnapped, tearfully pleaded, “I just want them to come home.”
As the search continues and the world watches, the fate of the remaining hostages hangs in the balance. For now, the return of fifty children offers a small measure of hope amid a crisis that has become all too familiar for Nigeria’s families.
