Fifty children escape after mass kidnapping at Catholic school in Nigeria – Firstpost

Fifty of the more than 300 children kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school have escaped from their captors, a Christian group said Sunday.

Gunmen attacked St. Mary’s co-educational school in Niger state on Friday, capturing 303 children and 12 teachers in one of Nigeria’s biggest mass kidnappings. The attack comes just days after armed men attacked a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state and abducted 25 girls.

“We have some good news as fifty students escaped and were reunited with their parents,” the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said in a statement. He said the children ran away between Friday and Saturday.

The abducted boys and girls – aged eight to 18 – represent about half of St. Mary’s more than 600 students. According to CAN, 251 primary school students, 14 secondary school students and 12 teachers are imprisoned. The Nigerian government has not yet commented on the figures.

“As we receive the return of these 50 children who escaped with some sigh of relief, I urge all of you to continue praying for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims,” ​​said CAN’s Niger State Chairman, Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohana, who is also the owner of the school.

The increase in attacks has heightened security fears in Africa’s most populous country, leading to widespread school closures. Since the kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok more than a decade ago, Nigeria has suffered repeated mass kidnappings, largely carried out by criminal gangs demanding ransom. Armed groups often target remote boarding schools with minimal security, and most detainees are released after negotiations.