Fifty Nigerian students manage to escape mass school abduction

Fifty of over 300 children abducted from a Catholic school in Nigeria managed to flee, the Christian Association of Nigeria said.

Armed assailants raided St. Mary’s Co-educational School in Niger state on November 21, taking 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the country’s largest mass kidnappings, Caliber.Az reports per Daily Sabah.

“We have received some good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents,” the association said, noting that the escape occurred between November 21 and 22.

The kidnapped students, aged 8 to 18, make up nearly half of the school’s total enrollment of over 600.

The statement adds that 251 primary school students, 14 secondary school students, and 12 teachers remain in captivity.

The Nigerian government has not yet commented on the total number of abducted students and staff.

Rising security concerns in Africa’s most populous country have led to widespread school closures.

Since Islamist militants abducted nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok over ten years ago, Nigeria has faced a surge of mass kidnappings, primarily orchestrated by criminal gangs seeking ransom.

Armed attackers frequently target isolated boarding schools, taking advantage of minimal security, though most hostages are eventually freed after negotiations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada