Fifty of the more than 300 children abducted by gunmen from a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria on Friday night managed to escape their captors. This was reported by the AFP and Reuters agencies on Sunday with reference to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
“We received good news: 50 pupils escaped and are back with their parents,” announced the association, covering various Christian churches and Christian organizations, which runs the school.
According to church officials, armed attackers broke into the boarding school of St. Márie (St. Mary’s School) in Papiri, Niger State and they kidnapped 303 students between the ages of eight and 18, as well as twelve teachers. During the kidnapping, one security guard was shot dead. A total of 629 children attend the school.
This is one of the biggest mass kidnappings in Nigeria. It came days after gunmen stormed a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state and kidnapped 25 girls. The Nigerian government has not yet commented on the number of kidnapped students and teachers.
“While we are relieved to hear the news of the return of 50 children, I urge you all to continue to pray for the rescue and safe return of the remaining children,” Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Director of CAN in Niger State, said in a statement. He added that the students managed to escape on Friday and Saturday.
Armed criminal gangs have been attacking and kidnapping people for ransom in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria for years. Thousands of people lost their lives in kidnappings. Gunmen often attack remote boarding schools, which are easy targets due to weak security. The gangs have their camps in a vast forested area that spans several federal states. In April 2014, the abduction of 276 girls from a school in Chibok attracted international attention. Some of the kidnapped girls are still missing today.
