130 kidnapped schoolchildren freed after a month, say Nigerian authorities
Dec 23, 2025
Lagos [Nigeria], December 23: Nigerian authorities on Sunday said that 130 children abducted from a Catholic school last month are now free.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's spokesman, Sunday Dare, said that none of the 303 pupils from St Mary's Catholic School in Niger State abducted on November 21 are still in captivity.
Dan Atori, spokesman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, told DPA that the children were expected to arrive in the state capital Minna on Monday.
According to media reports, the children had already been released on Friday, but transport difficulties delayed their arrival. The reports said the children were released in the Borgu region, a remote and difficult-to-access area. The children were abducted on November 21. At that time, 303 children and 12 teachers from St Mary's Catholic School in the community of Papiri were abducted. The majority of those abducted were primary school children under the age of 12.
Source: Qatar Tribune
