A glimmer of hope has emerged amid one of Nigeria’s largest school kidnappings in recent years, as 50 children escaped captivity after being abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Private School in Papiri, Niger State.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed the escape, with the children reuniting with their families after trekking more than 20 kilometers through forest terrain between Friday and Saturday.

Bishop Bulus Yohanna of Kontagora Diocese, who visited the families, praised their courage: “They showed incredible bravery… This is a miracle, but our prayers continue for the remaining 265 pupils and 12 teachers.”

The raid occurred around 2:00 a.m. on November 21, when gunmen stormed the boarding school hostel, firing indiscriminately before bundling victims into vehicles and fleeing toward Kogi State’s borders. In response, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago ordered all schools closed indefinitely, citing intelligence failures. The military has since launched Operation Papiri Rescue, deploying 500 troops, drones, and vigilantes.

In a related breakthrough, all 38 worshippers abducted from Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State on November 18 were freed on November 23 after a coordinated operation supervised by President Bola Tinubu, who cancelled his G20 trip to oversee rescue efforts. Authorities claim no ransom was paid.

The Papiri incident surpasses the scale of the 2014 Chibok abduction of 276 girls and follows the kidnapping of 25 girls in Kebbi State earlier this week. According to UNICEF, more than 1,400 children have been abducted from schools since 2014, prompting widespread closures in Kebbi, Niger, Katsina, Yobe, and Bauchi States.

President Tinubu has announced a redeployment of 100,000 police officers from VIP duties to frontline operations and approved the recruitment of 30,000 new officers. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV appealed for the captives’ release, stressing that schools must remain “places of safety and hope.”

Security analysts warn that bandits are exploiting Nigeria’s porous border terrain for ransom operations, with no group yet claiming responsibility. CAN’s Dominic Adamu, whose daughters were among those who escaped, urged: “This is relief, but we need all children back—now.”