Fifty pupils abducted from St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have escaped from their captors and returned to their families.
The Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, confirmed the development on Sunday in a statement released by his media aide, Daniel Atori.
The statement said, “This is to notify the public that as of Sunday, 23rd November 2025, we received some good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents.”
According to the bishop, the update came after officials visited some of the parents of the children.
He explained that despite the escape of the 50 pupils, 236 pupils are still being held, along with three children belonging to staff members and 14 secondary students. This brings the total number of children still in captivity to 253, in addition to 12 staff members.
Yohanna added, “The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and have reunited with their parents, as they could not return to the school after escaping. We were able to ascertain this when we contacted and visited some parents.”
He also shared a breakdown of the school population, saying that in the primary section, 430 pupils are enrolled, out of which 377 are boarders and 53 are day students.
“Currently, aside from the 50 pupils who escaped and returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not abducted,” he said.
While expressing relief, the CAN chairman appealed to Nigerians to keep praying for those still in captivity.
He said, “As much as we receive the return of these 50 children with some sigh of relief, I urge everyone to continue in prayers for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims. I call on everyone to remain calm and prayerful.”
He added that church authorities will continue to work with security agencies, community leaders, and government officials to ensure the safe return of the abducted pupils and staff members.
The state police command has yet to comment on the development.
A total of 315 people, including pupils, students, and teachers, were abducted during the attack on Friday. The state governor, Mohammed Bago, ordered the closure of all schools across Niger State on Saturday.
