BREAKING: 50 Abducted Niger Catholic School Pupils Escape Captivity – CAN

By Emmanuel Kwada

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, has announced that all fifty students abducted from St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area, have successfully escaped from their captors.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Chairman of Niger State CAN and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, the pupils regained their freedom between Friday night and Saturday morning.

“The fifty children abducted from St Mary’s Private Catholic Schools, Papiri, have all escaped from the hands of their abductors,” Bishop Yohanna confirmed.

He stated that the students escaped in groups and “quietly reunited with their families” without the payment of any ransom and without direct security intervention.

The pupils – comprising both primary and secondary school students – were kidnapped in the early hours of Thursday, November 20, 2025, when gunmen stormed the school premises, overpowered the security guards, and herded the children into the surrounding forest.

While the exact circumstances of the mass escape remain unclear, sources close to the community said the children took advantage of a moment of laxity by their captors during heavy rainfall in the area to flee into the bush and later found their way back home.

Bishop Yohanna expressed profound gratitude to God for the safe return of the children, saying, “We thank the Almighty God for this miracle. These are innocent children, and their safe return without harm is an answer to the prayers of the Church and the entire nation.”

He commended parents for maintaining calm and urged continued prayers for the protection of schools and children across the country.

As of Sunday evening, no official statement has been released by the Niger State Police Command or the state government, but security sources confirmed that all fifty students have indeed returned safely to their families.

The mass escape brings relief to thousands of residents in the riverine Agwara area who had lived in fear since the abduction.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, and security forces are reportedly combing the forests in pursuit of the fleeing kidnappers.