Dozens of Students Flee Captors in Daring Escape
In a significant development within a major kidnapping crisis, fifty schoolchildren have managed to escape their captors in north-central Nigeria. The pupils were among a larger group of 303 students forcibly taken from a Catholic school in Niger state.
Details of the Escape and Ongoing Captivity
The school authority confirmed the news on Sunday, stating that the escaped children are now safely with their families. According to the Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the proprietor of the school, the students escaped separately between Friday and Saturday.
The abducted schoolchildren, whose ages range from 10 to 18 years old, were seized in a brazen attack that has shocked the local community. While the escape of fifty pupils offers a glimmer of hope, the situation remains dire. Rev. Yohanna confirmed in a statement that a total of 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still being held by the kidnappers.
Community and National Response
This mass abduction highlights the persistent security challenges facing the region. The fact that the students could escape on their own accord over a two-day period raises serious questions about the official response to such incidents. The local community and the nation at large now wait anxiously for news of the remaining 265 individuals still in captivity, hoping for their swift and safe return.
