ABUJA, NIGERIA – Fifty students have escaped from armed captors who abducted more than 300 pupils and staff from a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria's north-central Niger State, church authorities confirmed on Sunday, November 23, 2025. The mass kidnapping is one of the largest in the nation's history and has intensified pressure on the government to address the rampant insecurity plaguing the region.

The attack occurred in the early hours of Friday, November 21, 2025, when gunmen stormed St. Mary's School in the remote Papiri community of Agwara local government area. In a statement, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported that 303 students, aged between 10 and 18, and 12 teachers were taken. The assailants, widely referred to as 'bandits', operated for several hours without resistance, according to local sources.

Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the CAN chairman for Niger State and proprietor of the school, announced that 50 of the abducted students had managed to escape individually between Friday and Saturday and have since been reunited with their families. This leaves 253 students and 12 staff members still in captivity. "As much as we receive the return of these 50 children that escaped with some sigh of relief, I urge you all to continue in your prayers for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims," Rev. Yohanna stated on Sunday.

A Worsening National Crisis

This incident is the second mass school abduction in Nigeria in a single week, following the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls in the neighbouring Kebbi State on Monday, November 17. The escalating crisis has forced authorities to order the closure of all boarding schools in Niger State and 47 federal government colleges across northern Nigeria as a precautionary measure. No group has officially claimed responsibility, but the attack bears the hallmarks of the heavily armed criminal gangs that engage in mass kidnappings for ransom. These groups have turned the abduction of schoolchildren into a lucrative enterprise, distinct from the jihadist insurgency of Boko Haram, which was responsible for the infamous Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping over a decade ago.

In response, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu cancelled his planned trips to the G20 summit in South Africa and an African Union-European Union summit to personally oversee the security situation. Security forces, including the military and local hunters, have been deployed to comb the surrounding forests in a large-scale search-and-rescue operation.

Implications for Kenya and East Africa

While there have been no official statements from Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the East African Community regarding this specific incident, the events in Nigeria are being closely monitored by regional security analysts. The primary concern for East Africa is the potential for the kidnapping-for-ransom business model, which has destabilised vast areas of northern Nigeria, to be replicated in regions with similar vulnerabilities.

Kenyan security experts note parallels between the under-policed, remote rural areas targeted by Nigerian bandits and similar environments in parts of East Africa. The tactic of targeting "soft targets" like schools presents a grave challenge to national security apparatuses. The crisis in Nigeria serves as a critical case study on the need for enhanced intelligence sharing, community-based security, and rapid response capabilities to protect educational institutions from organised crime. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED on specific policy responses from East African governments.

International Condemnation

The abductions have drawn widespread international condemnation. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV expressed his "deep sorrow" and made a "heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages" during his address in St. Peter's Square. The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian minister, stated that schools should be "sanctuaries for education, not targets," and called for the perpetrators to be held accountable. UNICEF has also condemned the attack as a grave violation of children's rights and urged the Nigerian government to fully implement the Safe Schools Declaration, which the country endorsed in 2015.

The Niger State government has been criticised for allegedly failing to prevent the attack, with officials claiming the school reopened against a directive to remain closed due to security threats. However, Rev. Yohanna of CAN refuted this, calling the claim "an afterthought and a way to shift blame."