ABUJA, Nigeria — Fifty of the 303 schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in north-central Niger state have escaped captivity and are now with their families, the school authority said Sunday. The students, aged 10 to 18, freed themselves individually between Friday and Saturday, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the proprietor of St. Mary’s School, said in a statement.
Yohanna said a total of 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers remain held by the kidnappers. The pupils and teachers were seized when gunmen attacked the St. Mary’s School in the remote Papiri community on Friday. No group has claimed responsibility.
Authorities have deployed tactical squads and local hunters to rescue the victims, but it was not immediately clear where the captives were being held or how the 50 children managed to return home. Nigeria’s military and police did not immediately respond to an Associated Press inquiry.
“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,” Yohanna said.
The Niger state abduction came four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town. Both states are in a northern region where dozens of armed gangs use kidnapping for ransom to dominate remote communities with limited government and security presence.
Satellite imagery shows the Niger state school compound adjoins a primary school and includes more than 50 classroom and dormitory buildings near a major road linking Yelwa and Mokwa. School kidnappings have become a hallmark of insecurity in Nigeria, with armed gangs often targeting schools to draw attention.
Niger state closed all schools after Friday’s attack, and the federal government ordered closures at some colleges in conflict hotspots across the region.