Catholic Sisters Urge Global Action As 165 Kidnapped Niger State Schoolchildren Remain Captive In Nigeria
December 17, 2025
News
Catholic religious sisters have raised the alarm over the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State, Nigeria, appealing for urgent national and international intervention to secure their release.
In a statement shared with Vatican News, the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) revealed that some of the children still being held by their abductors are as young as five years old. They said the prolonged ordeal has caused deep pain and distress for the families involved, the local community, and the OLA Congregation.
The abduction took place in the early hours of November 21, when armed assailants stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, forcibly abducting 265 students and staff members.
The schools are managed by the OLA Sisters and owned by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, which belongs to the Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province.
Providing an update, the Congregation Leader of the OLA Sisters, Sr. Mary T. Barron, confirmed that some of the abducted victims have been released but stressed that many remain in captivity under harsh and inhumane conditions.
“It was with great joy that we welcomed the news on December 14 that 100 people had been freed—14 secondary school students, one staff member, 80 primary school pupils, and five nursery school children,” the statement read.
“However, this joy is overshadowed by the ongoing anguish for the remaining 165 captives—11 staff members, 35 nursery school children, and 119 primary school pupils, aged between five and 12 or 13 years.”
According to Sr. Barron, the children were taken from their dormitories in the middle of the night and are being held in forests without adequate clothing or basic necessities.
“They are being kept in atrocious conditions. How much longer must their suffering endure?” she asked.
Sr. Barron said the OLA Sisters, together with supporters around the world, continue to pray for the safe return of those still in captivity. She expressed gratitude for the support already received and urged faith communities and people of goodwill not to relent.
The OLA leader also made a direct appeal to political leaders and the international community to act swiftly to bring an end to the ordeal.
“We appeal to all those who hold political power and influence to assist the Federal Government of Nigeria so that these innocent children can return to their communities immediately,” she said.
Quoting Edmund Burke, she added: “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.”
Earlier reports indicated that the Federal Government had secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from the school. The victims were among **315 people—303 students and 12 teachers—**taken during the attack.
The assailants, who arrived on motorcycles, reportedly invaded the school at about 2:00 a.m., operating for nearly three hours as they moved from dormitory to dormitory before leading their captives into nearby forests. However, 50 pupils managed to escape within the first 24 hours of the abduction.