Mass Abduction Shakes Nigerian Community
In a harrowing incident that has intensified security fears across Nigeria, more than 300 students and staff were abducted from St Mary's school in Papiri, Niger state, on Friday. The attack represents one of the largest mass kidnappings targeting a school in recent memory.
Fifty Pupils Make Daring Escape
In a development offering a glimmer of hope, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed on Sunday that fifty of the abducted pupils managed to escape their captors. According to a statement from CAN’s chair, Bulus Yohanna, the children fled between Friday and Saturday. All fifty have since been safely reunited with their families.
Bulus Yohanna, who is also the Catholic bishop and proprietor of the school, provided the grim update that approximately 253 children and 12 staff members remain with the kidnappers. The gunmen's motives and demands are not yet fully clear, leaving families in a state of agonising uncertainty.
International Outcry and Widespread School Closures
The abduction has provoked international condemnation. From St Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Leo issued a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages during his Sunday mass. This incident is the latest in a disturbing spate of school attacks in Nigeria this week, a pattern of violence that has compelled the government to take drastic action. Authorities have ordered the closure of 47 colleges in an attempt to protect students from further danger, highlighting the severe security challenges in the country's north-west region.
The classroom from which the pupils were taken, photographed in the aftermath, stands as a stark and empty reminder of the ongoing crisis and the urgent need for a resolution.
