Fifty of the abducted school pupils of St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools, Niger State, have reportedly escaped from their captors and reunited with their families.
The Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement issued by his media aide, Daniel Atori.
He explained that the development was discovered after visiting the parents of the children.
According to him, the school still has 236 pupils in captivity, including three children of staff members and 14 secondary school students, bringing the total to 253 children and 12 staff members still held.
“This is to notify the public that as of Sunday, 23rd November 2025, we received good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents.
“This comes just a few days after suspected terrorists attacked and abducted 303 pupils and students.
“The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and reunited with their families, as they could not return to the school after escaping. We confirmed this after contacting and visiting some parents,” the statement read.
Yohanna added that in the primary section, out of 430 enrolled pupils, 377 are boarders while 53 are day students.
“Currently, aside from the 50 pupils who escaped and returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not abducted.
“As it stands now, we have 236 pupils, another three children belonging to staff, and 14 secondary school students — making a total of 253 children — in addition to 12 staff members with the abductors,” he added.
While expressing relief at the return of the 50 children, the CAN chairman called for continued prayers for those still in captivity.
“As much as we welcome the return of these 50 children with relief, I urge everyone to continue praying for the safe return of the remaining victims.
“I call on everyone to remain calm and prayerful. We will continue to work with security operatives, community leaders, government, and relevant authorities for the safe and quick return of all abductees.
“May the Lord grant quick release to those abducted and protect His people from all harm,” Yohanna said.
The state police command has not yet commented on the development.
A total of 315 persons — pupils, students and teachers — were abducted from St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, on Friday. The incident prompted the state governor, Mohammed Bago, to order the closure of schools across the state on Saturday.
