A nun reports that over 300 children, including those as young as 5, were kidnapped from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s Papiri community. The missionary nun Mary Barron, superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), described many of the missing children as ‘tiny,’ as most were from the primary school, where education is limited in the region. The BBC reported that Barron stated the majority of the children taken were from the nursery and primary levels, as families often send their children to boarding schools from an early age.
School officials indicated that on Sunday, 50 students aged 10 to 18 managed to escape their captors by jumping over a wall and running into the bush. They described their escape as a journey where they ‘walked and walked’ because they knew they couldn’t return to the school. Barron emphasized that the escapees eventually found familiar surroundings, giving them hope that more children could be rescued with adequate resources and support.
Barron expressed hope that a concerted effort, with sufficient resources, could lead to the recovery of the remaining 253 students and 12 teachers. However, it remains unclear where the remaining children and staff are being held. No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack, though authorities are working with tactical squads and local hunters to locate the kidnapped.
The incident follows a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions across Nigeria, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a ‘country of particular concern.’ The Nigerian government has contested U.S. claims, highlighting the complexity and ongoing challenges in addressing such crises in the region.