In a moment of profound relief for Nigeria and anxious families across the nation, authorities have confirmed that all schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, have been freed after weeks in captivity. The final group of 130 students and staff were released on Sunday, bringing an end to one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s recent history.
This mass abduction occurred in the early morning of 21 November 2025, when armed attackers stormed a boarding school in a rural village called Papiri and took students and staff from their dormitories. There were reports of over 300 people, aged as young as 10 years, being taken. One hundred students escaped in the aftermath of this heinous crime, and then in early December another 100 students were released. The rescue of the 130 students brought to a close a nightmare in a major way.
Videos and pictures that went viral during the official ceremonies in Minna, the Niger State capital, captured the relief of the parents and guardians embracing their children in response to the release of the latter from captivity. Actually, most of the school-going children seemed tired and also appeared to be struggling with the events of the kidnappings.
The development was also welcomed by state officials, including the presidential spokesperson and Niger state Governor. According to a statement by the state government, “not a single pupil is left in captivity,” indicating that military intelligence work had succeeded.
Parents have now started the reintegration process of the children just a few days before Christmas, a season that was marred by fear and uncertainty for many families. Reintegration of the children has been noted to be important by the local authority.
There has been a steady and escalating level of kidnapping in Nigeria in recent years, and schools have increasingly fallen prey to armed offenders demanding ransom payment. Attacks on students and faculty members, especially in some rural areas, have now reached alarming frequency and have evoked memories of past mass abduction incidents like that involving Chibok girls in 2014.
The Papiri kidnapping happened in the context of other incidents. Prior to the attack, there had been another kidnap of children in neighboring Kebbi State, indicative of the prevalence of insecurity in northern Nigeria. Kidnappers, who are mainly armed, have exploited the lack of governance and security capacity in rural schools and communities.
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The manner in which these incidents have impacted educational institutions is that they have caused utmost inconvenience to authorities striving to provide quality education to the affected populace. With the safe return of the remaining students and teachers, the focus has shifted to reconciliation, healing, and prevention. Parents, schools, and community leadership are demanding enhanced security measures, the development of advanced warning systems, and more resources for community security networks to prevent such disasters from happening again. While Nigeria celebrates this reprieve at a time of such narrow victory, the situation of those who have been abducted brings home the transience of any peace in an area in which armed groups continue to act with impunity. It is the hope of everyone, it seems, that in this Christmas season, their children can return home to begin a new era in which every child can receive an education.
