For two long days, families in parts of Niger State lived in fear and uncertainty, unsure whether their missing children were still alive. Then, on Saturday, hope returned—one child at a time.
According to Vanguard reports on Sunday, November 23, 2025, 50 pupils from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School miraculously escaped from the armed men who abducted them on Thursday night. Exhausted, frightened, and some still in their school uniforms, the children made their way back home on their own.
Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora and the CAN chairman in Niger State, described the emotional scenes as families were reunited.
“They just appeared at the door—dirty, exhausted,” he recounted. “When a mother opened her door and saw her child standing there, the screaming and crying of joy… only God can understand such happiness.”
Some of the children walked for hours through the dark; others hid among farmlands until daylight. Knowing the school might still be unsafe, they headed straight home instead of returning to the compound.
School officials discovered the miraculous escape only after contacting parents and teachers who had been anxiously waiting for updates.
St. Mary’s has 430 primary pupils, 377 of them boarders. On the night of the attack, 141 hid and escaped being taken, and with these newly returned 50 pupils, the number of safe children rose to 191.
Sadly, 265 people—including 236 primary pupils, 14 secondary students, 3 children of staff members, and 12 teachers—are still in captivity.
Bishop Yohanna urged citizens to remain prayerful and hopeful:
“These children who came back are proof that God has not abandoned us. We are working day and night with security forces and community leaders. Keep hope alive for the ones still out there.”
Across communities around Papiri, emotions remain mixed—relief for the families whose children escaped and deep fear for those still waiting. One father, overwhelmed with emotion, said:
“My daughter came home yesterday. I still can’t sleep. I keep checking that she’s really here.”
As the night settles again over Niger State, prayers continue—thankful for the 50 who made it home, and filled with longing for the many more yet to be returned safely.
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