Nearly a month after one of Nigeria’s largest school abductions in recent history, 165 children and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in the remote community of Papiri remain in captivity, held by armed criminal gangs in the vast forests of north-central Nigeria.
The nightmare began in the early hours of November 21, when dozens of terrorists on motorcycles stormed the boarding school, rounding up students and teachers from their dormitories in a three-hour operation.
Initial reports varied, but the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed that 303 students (some as young as five) and 12 teachers were seized, totaling 315 victims—nearly half the school’s enrollment of around 629.
Fifty children managed to escape shortly after the raid, hiding in the bush before reuniting with families.
On December 8, authorities announced the release of 100 more victims—mostly primary and nursery students—following negotiations.
Bola Tinubu praised security forces for the partial rescue, but emphasized that efforts would continue until all were freed.
Yet, as of today, approximately 165 individuals, including 11 staff members, 35 nursery children, and 119 primary students, are still missing.
Families in Papiri describe harrowing conditions: the captives, taken without proper clothing, are reportedly enduring harsh forest life with limited food and contaminated water.
The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), who manage the school under the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, have renewed appeals for global intervention.
“These innocent children, some only five years old, are suffering in atrocious conditions,” said Congregation Leader Sr. Mary T. Barron in a recent statement.
“How much longer must their suffering endure?”No group has claimed responsibility, but locals and analysts attribute the attack to “terrorists”—heavily armed criminal networks operating in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, driven by ransom demands rather than ideology.
Kidnapping for profit has become a multimillion-dollar industry, with schools seen as soft targets yielding high payoffs.
The Papiri abduction is part of a disturbing pattern: since 2014’s infamous Chibok incident, over 1,600 children have been kidnapped in Nigeria, exacerbating the country’s out-of-school crisis affecting millions.
In response, Niger State closed all schools indefinitely, while federal authorities shuttered dozens of unity colleges nationwide.
Parents, meanwhile, grapple with grief and frustration. One father died from hypertension amid the uncertainty, and survivors recount traumatic experiences in captivity.
Advocates like Samantha Walsh have used social media to spotlight the plight, urging international attention with repeated calls:
“There are 165 children from St. Mary’s Catholic School still in captivity by kidnappers.”
As security forces comb the forests and negotiations continue, the community of Papiri holds vigils, clinging to hope for the safe return of their children before the crisis claims more lives.
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