US EditionFifty Pupils Escape Kidnappers in Nigeria, as Pope Calls for Release of All 315
Pope Leo XIV calls for urgent action to free 315 abducted students and staff from a Catholic school, the largest mass kidnapping reported in Nigeria this year.
- On Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, Pope Leo XIV appealed at St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, for immediate release of children and staff abducted this week from a Catholic school in Nigeria.
- Assailants arrived on more than 60 motorcycles and a van, forcing their way into the school between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., shooting the school's gatekeeper and joining a spate of school attacks in northwest Nigeria.
- Local residents reported uncertainty about the exact count and said several teachers were taken, while the Christian Association of Nigeria raised its estimate to 315 from the earlier estimate of 227.
- The Pope called for swift action, saying `I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages,` while the United States and local Church leaders condemned the abduction.
- Context-first: The attacks form part of a broader wave in the region, including six Catholic priests kidnapped in Ndop, Cameroon and a Baptist pastor abducted in Jakiri, Bui division.
32 Articles
32 Articles
On Friday, a total of 315 children and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger state in central Nigeria.
Fifty pupils escape kidnappers in Nigeria, as Pope calls for release of all 315
Fifty of the more than 300 students kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school last week have escaped, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said Sunday, as Pope Leo appealed for them all to be immediately released.
Fifty of the 315 children kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria's Niger state on Friday have escaped. The Christian Association of Nigeria says they have been reunited with their families. A major military-led search and rescue operation is underway for the remaining 265 children and 12 teachers who were taken with them. Calling for the release of the kidnapped, Pope Leo XIV expressed "great sadness" and urged authorities to act …
Armed men abducted 315 students and teachers in a Catholic school in western Nigeria on Friday, 21 November, during one of the country's largest mass kidnappings. This Sunday, about 50 of them summarized how to escape their kidnappers.
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