About 50 students managed to escape.
By Catholics for Catholics
In the latest turn regarding the attacks against Christians in Nigeria, Pope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of about 253 Catholic schoolchildren who remain in captivity by gunmen.
Fifty of the 303 captured children managed to escape in Nigeria’s Niger state, according to The Boston Herald.
Schoolchildren, aged between 10 and 18, escaped individually between Friday and Saturday, according to the Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the proprietor of the school.
But 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still being held captive 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.
“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, saying at the end of a mass in St. Peter’s square on Sunday that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident.
Pope Leo calls for immediate release of African Christians held hostage. Pray for our brethren in Nigeria and Cameroon. pic.twitter.com/4Rqeo8axPR
— Catholics for Catholics 🇺🇲 (@CforCatholics) November 24, 2025
“I feel great sorrow, especially for the many girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families,” the pontiff 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.”
School kidnappings have come to characterize insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.
UNICEF said last year that only 37% of schools across 10 of the conflict-hit states have early warning systems to detect threats.
Looking to forestall other kidnappings, Niger state has now shut down all schools as a measure. The decision was in a bid to protect lives and property, Niger Gov. Umar Bago told reporters Saturday after meeting with security officials in Minna.
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