Mon Dec 08 03:25:54 UTC 2025: ## 100 Kidnapped Nigerian Students Released, Over 150 Still Held
Abuja, Nigeria – One hundred students kidnapped from a Catholic school in northern Nigeria last month have been released and arrived in Abuja on Monday, according to reports from news agencies and local media. The students were among 303 pupils and 12 teachers abducted from St. Mary’s School in the Papiri community of Niger State’s Agwara district on November 21st.
Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare confirmed the release to AFP, stating the students would be handed over to the Niger State government after medical evaluations and debriefing. The Guardian Nigeria reports the rescued children will be reunited with their families after the process.
However, the ordeal is far from over. With 50 students having previously escaped, the latest release leaves a staggering 153 students and 12 teachers still in the hands of their captors.
“We have been praying and waiting for their return. If it is true, then it is a cheering news,” said Daniel Atori, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese, which runs the school. “However, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the federal government.”
The abduction underscores the ongoing security crisis in Nigeria, where over 1,400 students have been kidnapped since 2014. The incident brings back memories of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping, where over 270 girls were abducted, marking it as one of the worst mass kidnappings in the country’s history.
The timing of the kidnappings coincides with heightened international scrutiny of religious freedom in Nigeria. Recent comments by former US President Donald Trump alleging “genocide” against Christians have been met with skepticism by both local officials and Christian groups, who argue that the violence affects people of all faiths in the region.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that people of all religious backgrounds have been victims of the violence. “We acknowledge the fact that there are killings that have taken place in Nigeria, but those killings were not restricted to Christians alone. Muslims are being killed. Traditional worshippers are being killed,” said spokesman Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
The situation remains tense, with the fate of the remaining hostages uncertain. Nigerian authorities are under increasing pressure to secure their release and address the root causes of the ongoing insecurity plaguing the nation.
First Piper 