One hundred children taken from a Catholic boarding school in central Nigeria have been released, authorities confirmed on Sunday, though the whereabouts of more than 160 others remains unknown.
The mass kidnapping happened before dawn on 21 November, when armed men broke into St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State. They rounded up 315 pupils and staff, most of them between nine and fourteen, and forced them into the bush at gunpoint.
Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that 100 of the abducted children were freed and flown to Abuja. They were expected to be transferred back to the Niger State government by Monday. A United Nations official also confirmed that arrangements were under way to hand them over to state authorities. Officials did not say whether the release involved negotiations, ransom payments or a security operation, and no details have been shared about the condition of the remaining hostages.
Church leaders in the Kontagora Diocese, which oversees the school, said they had not yet received a formal briefing from the federal government. “We have been praying and waiting for their return. If the news is true, it will be very encouraging,” said Daniel Atori, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna.
Around fifty captives managed to escape in the hours following the attack. Authorities later estimated that roughly 265 people had been marched deep into the forests of north-central Nigeria, where criminal groups operate freely and kidnapping for ransom has become a routine threat.
The assault on St Mary’s was one of several large-scale abductions reported across the country in November, a month marked by a surge in violence. Among the cases recorded were the kidnapping of Muslim schoolgirls, an attack on church worshippers in which 38 people were taken, and a series of assaults on rural communities.
The trauma of the school raid also led to tragedy: three days later, a father of three abducted pupils, Anthony Musa, died from what relatives believe was a heart attack brought on by the stress of the ordeal.
Nigeria continues to struggle with an increasingly complex security landscape. The country faces overlapping threats from jihadist groups, criminal bandits and armed militias. According to a recent study by Lagos-based SBM Intelligence, the kidnap-for-ransom trade generated at least $1.66 million between July 2024 and June 2025, underscoring how entrenched the industry has become.
In response, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced major security expansions in late November. He approved the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers on top of 30,000 already sanctioned, and authorised the deployment of forest guards under the State Security Service.
The Nigerian Senate also held an emergency debate, labelling kidnapping a form of terrorism and suggesting capital punishment for abductors. Lawmakers raised concern over evidence that militant groups have infiltrated the armed forces and police, claiming that lists of new recruits included individuals with known extremist affiliations.
Human rights groups say a mixture of jihadist movements, bandit organisations and armed Fulani herders are responsible for the rising attacks. Their findings match this year’s World Watch List from Open Doors, which reported that Nigeria accounted for 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the review period.
A newer faction known as Lakurawa has also emerged in the northwest. Analysts believe the group has ties to al-Qaeda’s West African branch, JNIM, and is operating with advanced weapons and a hard-line Islamist ideology.
One of the most widely reported tragedies last month involved the disappearance of Anglican priest Rev Edwin Achi. He and his wife were abducted from their home in Nissi, Kaduna State, in October. On 19 November, Rev Achi was confirmed dead. His captors had demanded 600 million naira, around £330,000, for his release. His wife, Sarah, is still missing, as is their daughter.
The worsening security situation has drawn international attention. Former US President Donald Trump accused Nigerian authorities of “permitting” violence against Christians and suggested that military action could be considered. The Nigerian government has strongly rejected claims that the unrest is religiously driven, though rights groups argue the state is failing to protect vulnerable communities.
The crisis echoes the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl abductions, which drew global outrage. Many of those girls remain missing nearly a decade later, and the incident continues to influence copycat kidnappings by armed groups.
Security analysts say US surveillance flights have recently increased over Nigeria’s northern regions, monitoring jihadist hideouts. One local official in Borno State told AFP that militants may be holding captives as leverage in case foreign forces take action in response to fresh threats.
Adapted from The Christian Post.
