Fifty Students Flee Large-Scale Abduction in Nigeria; More Than 250 Still Held

On November 24, 2025, A major kidnapping at St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri community, Niger State, has become one of the most serious mass abductions in Nigeria’s recent history. Armed men stormed the school on Friday, abducting more than 300 students and 12 teachers, amid accusations that the school ignored official warnings to suspend on-site boarding due to rising security threats.

Initial reports indicated that 303 students were taken, while other sources put the number at 315. The abducted students, aged between 10 and 18, were taken from a school located near the Yelwa–Mokwa highway, an area notorious for armed criminal groups operating from expansive forest zones linking several conflict-prone states.

In a dramatic turn, 50 students managed to escape the kidnappers between Saturday and Sunday. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed that all 50 have been reunited with their families after what was described as a dangerous and courageous escape.

However, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, head of CAN in Niger State and proprietor of the school, stated that 253 students and 12 staff members remain in captivity. Other reports suggest the number of children still missing could be as high as 265. Distressed parents continued to gather at the school, anxiously awaiting news of their children.

Large-Scale Search and Rescue Operation Underway

The Nigerian military has launched a major search-and-rescue mission involving soldiers, police officers, and local vigilante groups combing surrounding forests and possible escape routes. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and authorities have yet to provide updates on the progress of rescue operations.

Kidnapping for ransom, carried out by heavily armed criminal gangs known locally as “bandits” has surged nationwide in recent years. Although the government prohibited ransom payments in an attempt to cut off funding for criminal groups, the measure has done little to curb the rising wave of abductions.

Tinubu Orders Police Overhaul, Recalls Officers Assigned to VIP Protection

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at the BRICS summit in Brazil this year. (Reuters: Adriano Machado)

President Bola Tinubu responded by ordering the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers and directing that police currently tasked with VIP protection be redeployed to core security duties, particularly in rural and high-risk communities. Reports indicate that more than 100,000 out of Nigeria’s 371,000 police officers have been assigned to guard political elites and influential figures, leaving communities critically understaffed.

VIPs who still require armed security may request personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) instead. Tinubu emphasized that his administration “will not relent” until all hostages are safely rescued, and he has postponed planned international trips, including the G20 summit in South Africa, to focus on the unfolding crisis.

Multiple states, including Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, Katsina, and Yobe, have ordered school closures following the incident in an effort to prevent further attacks.

The mass abduction occurred just four days after more than 25 girls were kidnapped from a boarding school in Maga, Kebbi State, about 170 kilometers away. In Kwara State, 38 hostages abducted during an attack on the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku were released on Sunday, though two people were killed during the incident.

Global Reactions: A Crisis Drawing International Attention

Pope Leo XIV expressed that he was “deeply saddened” by the kidnapping and urged the immediate release of all hostages, calling on Nigerian authorities to act “appropriately and swiftly.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump accused the Nigerian government of “failing to curb persecution of Christians,” even suggesting the possibility of “military action.” The Nigerian government rejected his claims as “a gross misrepresentation of reality,” stating that terrorists “attack all who reject their ideology, Muslims, Christians, or those of no faith.”

Since the 2014 Chibok kidnapping, more than 1,500 Nigerian students have been abducted. Schools have increasingly become strategic targets for armed groups seeking ransom or public attention. Despite the escape of 50 students, over 250 remain in captivity, intensifying pressure on President Tinubu, who recently announced sweeping reforms to restore public confidence in national security.

Source: ABC, BBC

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