Pope Leo XIV has urged the swift liberation of students, clergy, and churchgoers taken in a series of kidnappings across Nigeria and Cameroon, saying the situation demands urgent action from national authorities.
Addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square after Sunday Mass, the Pope spoke of his “immense sadness” over the wave of recent abductions targeting Christian communities in West Africa. He appealed directly for the hostages’ release and asked the international community to keep the crisis in prayer.
The most serious attack occurred on Friday in the remote Papiri district of Niger state, Nigeria, when armed men raided St Mary High School and seized more than 300 students and staff. According to Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who chairs the Christian Association of Nigeria in the state, around 50 children managed to escape, but at least 265 pupils and teachers are still missing. The captives, aged between 10 and 18, are believed to have been taken into forested areas controlled by criminal groups.
Only days earlier in Cameroon, six priests from the Archdiocese of Bamenda were abducted in Ndop, while a Baptist pastor was taken in a separate incident in Jakiri. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, and Nigerian officials have released no new details about rescue efforts.
“I feel deep sorrow especially for the many boys and girls who have been abducted, and for their anguished families,” the Pope said. “I make a heartfelt appeal that the hostages be immediately released, and I urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their liberation.” He also prayed that churches and schools would remain places of “safety and hope.”
The attack in Niger state came shortly after 25 pupils were kidnapped in another school raid in Kebbi state, while 38 worshippers taken during an assault on Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara state were freed last week. President Bola Tinubu welcomed those releases and promised that the government would “not relent” until every abducted person is rescued.
Security observers say weak law enforcement has emboldened armed groups operating across northern Nigeria. Confidence McHarry of SBM Intelligence told the Associated Press that the “absence of consequences” has fuelled the rise in large-scale kidnappings.
Authorities have responded by closing all schools in Niger state and restricting access to vulnerable institutions in neighbouring regions.
Mass abductions have become a defining feature of insecurity in northern Nigeria over the past decade. More than 1,500 students have been kidnapped in 10 years, often released only after ransom payments. The crisis recalls the 2014 Chibok attack, when more than 200 girls were taken by Boko Haram, drawing global condemnation.
Adapted from Christian Today UK.
