Fifty students abducted from St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, Niger state, have successfully escaped from captivity. The abduction, which occurred on November 21, saw armed men attack the school, taking 315 people, including 303 students and 12 teachers.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger state, through its chairman and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, confirmed on Sunday that the pupils regained their freedom between Friday and Saturday. They quietly reunited with their respective families after their escape.

Initially, the escaped pupils were unaccounted for as they did not return directly to the school. However, school officials successfully traced them by contacting and visiting their parents. Among the 50 students who escaped, at least 10 are identified as girls, based on the manifest released by the school.

Bishop Yohanna provided a detailed breakdown of the school's population and the current situation. St Mary’s Primary School has a total of 430 pupils, comprising 377 boarders and 53 non-boarders. He clarified that, aside from the 50 pupils who escaped and returned home, 141 pupils were confirmed not to have been abducted in the first place. As it stands, the abductors are still holding 236 pupils, three children belonging to staff members, 14 secondary school students, and 12 staff members, making a total of 265 individuals still in captivity.

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora also released the names of the 50 students who escaped: Samson Bitrus, Justina Adamu, Emmanuel Francis, Keziah Musa, Amos Mathew, Lawrence James, Timothy Peter, Lawrence Yohanna, Ayuba Victor, Marcus Bulus, Bulus Emmanuel, Mariam Joshua, Bulus Samaila, Mathew Dauda, Caleb Hosea, Micah Luka, Catherine Emmanuel, Michael Jacob, Christopher Ezekiel, Musa Timothy, Dominic Daniel, Naomi Bulus, Dominic Elisha, Nicodemus Ibrahim, Elisha Harunna, Peter Jonathan, Elisha Yakubu, Pricillia Peter, Ezekiel Emmanuel, Emmanuel Godwin, Ezekiel Joel, Samaila Dauda, Ezekiel Pius, Stephen Anthony, Ezra James, Sunday Shedrack, Friday Joel, Gloria Jeremiah, Veronica Iliya, Victoria Ishaku, Godiya Mathew, Vincent Emmanuel, Iliya Philip, Wisdom Fabian, Ishaya David, Yakubu Saminu, Joseph Sunday, Yunusa Musa, Julius Paul, and Yusuf Sunday.

Bishop Yohanna appealed for continued prayers and calm, emphasizing collaboration with security agencies, community leaders, and government authorities to ensure the safe and swift return of all remaining abductees. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who visited the emirate headquarters where the incident occurred on Saturday, attributed the abduction to "informants." Meanwhile, security agencies have yet to issue an official update on operations aimed at rescuing those still held captive.