Niger school abduction: 50 pupils escape, reunite with families — Catholic bishop

Bishop Bulus

Fifty of the abducted school pupils of St. Mary Private Primary and Secondary Schools, Niger State, have reportedly escaped from their captors and have reunited with their parents.

The Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, made this known on Sunday in a statement issued by his media aide, Daniel Atori.

He stated that they discovered the development after visiting the parents of the children.

The chairman explained that the school currently has 236 pupils in captivity, including three children belonging to staff members and 14 secondary students, making a total of 253 children and 12 staff members still held by the abductors.

“This is to notify the public that as of Sunday, 23rd November 2025, we received some good news as fifty (50) 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 have reunited with their parents, as they could not return to the school after escaping. We were able to ascertain this when we contacted and visited some parents,” the statement read. Punch