Fifty pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have escaped from captivity.
Armed men had stormed the school in the early hours of Friday, shooting a security guard and whisking away more than 200 pupils and students, along with at least 13 teaching and non-teaching staff.
Initial figures released by Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, who also owns the school, indicated that 215 students and 12 staff were taken.
Read also: Niger school attack: Number of abducted students, teachers climbs to 315, says CAN
However, by Saturday the numbers became more alarming as the cleric reported that 88 additional students could not be accounted for, pushing the total missing victims higher than earlier feared.
In a statement released on Sunday by Daniel Atori, his aide, Yohanna confirmed that 50 of the abducted pupils managed to escape on Saturday and had since been reunited with their families.
“This is to notify the public that as of Sunday, 23rd November 2025, we have received some good news as fifty (50) pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents,” the statement read.
He explained that the school runs both boarding and day programmes.
“The primary section alone has 430 pupils, including 377 boarders and 53 day students”, he added.
Giving further clarity on the current situation, the CAN chairman said: “Aside from the 50 pupils that escaped and have returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not taken.
“As it stands now, 236 pupils, three children belonging to staff members, 14 secondary school students, and 12 staff members remain with the abductors”, he clarified
Security agencies have intensified search-and-rescue operations as pressure mounts for the safe return of the remaining victims.
