…CAN Confirms 253 Pupils, Staff Still in Captivity
Fifty pupils earlier abducted from St. Mary’s Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have reportedly escaped from their captors and safely reunited with their families, offering a rare moment of relief amid an ongoing mass abduction crisis.
The development was confirmed on Sunday by the Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, in an official statement issued by his media aide, Daniel Atori. According to the cleric, the escape of the pupils was discovered during a pastoral visit to the affected parents and guardians.
Bishop Yohanna said the update came after extensive consultations with community leaders, security agents, and the school authorities. He noted that although the return of the fifty children brings some consolation, the magnitude of the tragedy remains overwhelming.
According to him, the school still has 236 children in captivity, a figure that includes three pupils belonging to staff members, 14 secondary school students, and a total of 12 staff members still being held by the armed attackers. Altogether, 253 persons remain unaccounted for, days after the gunmen invaded the Catholic mission school in the early hours of Friday.
The CAN chairman expressed deep concern over the trauma experienced by families and reiterated the urgent need for coordinated rescue efforts. He appealed to the federal and state governments, security agencies, and local vigilante networks to intensify ongoing operations to secure the release of the remaining captives.
He also implored religious institutions and Nigerians of faith to continue interceding for the safe return of the schoolchildren, describing the attack as a direct assault on education, peace, and the sanctity of human life in the region.
The mass abduction has drawn national outrage, with security experts warning that the rising frequency of school kidnappings in the North poses severe implications for education, rural stability, and community resilience.
As families celebrate the unexpected return of the 50 pupils, the community remains gripped by anxiety and uncertainty, hoping that the remaining 253 hostages will soon be rescued unharmed.
