Fifty of the 303 schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in north-central Nigeria's Niger state have escaped captivity and are now with their families, the school authority said Sunday, bringing relief to some of the distraught families after one of the largest school abductions in Nigeria's history. The schoolchildren, between 10 and 18 years old, escaped individually Friday and Saturday, said the Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north-central Niger state and the proprietor of the school, the AP reports.
A total of 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still being held by the kidnappers, Yohanna said in a statement. "We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents," he added. The students were seized together with their teachers by gunmen who attacked the St. Mary's School, a Catholic institution in Niger state's remote Papiri community, on Friday. No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions, and Nigerian authorities have not provided any update on rescue efforts. It was not immediately clear where the Niger state children were being held or how they managed to return home. "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.
Pope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of the schoolchildren and staff of the school at the end of a mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday. "I feel great sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families," the Leo said. "I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release."
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