Update: children and teachers kidnapped from school released

Praise God that students and staff taken from a school in Nigeria have been freed.

In wonderful news from Nigeria, the authorities are reporting the release of 130 of the children and teachers taken from a school in Niger State.

More than 250 students and staff are believed to have been kidnapped from St Mary’s, a Catholic school, on 21 November. Earlier this month, 100 of them were safely released.

Since the incident, the exact numbers of those taken and still in captivity have been unclear. However, the Nigerian authorities now report the ‘rescue of the remaining 130 children and staff’, adding that the release was a ‘moment of triumph and relief’. It’s not known how many of those kidnapped and subsequently freed are Christians.

Praise God for this answer to prayer. Please pray for the children and teachers, and their families, as they recover from what they’ve experienced, and pray for the imminent and safe release of all those still held captive in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.

9 December 2025

Update: 100 released from captivity in Nigeria

In good news from Nigeria, 100 of the children and teachers taken from their school in Niger State have been freed.

They were amongst more than 250 students and staff kidnapped from St Mary’s, a school in the Papiri community in Agwara Local Government Area (LGA), in the early hours of 21 November. It’s one of the largest ever mass abductions in Nigeria. St Mary’s is a Catholic school, though it’s unknown how many of those taken – or recently released – are Christian.

According to Open Doors field sources, the father of three of the girls taken has died from a heart attack.

“Everybody seems to be worried, people are angry, everybody is disturbed,” a senior church leader told Open Doors partners, highlighting the broader spate of kidnappings in recent weeks. “Within seven days, children were taken away from Kebbi. Then we moved to the kidnapping and the gun attack in Kwara, and then the kidnapping of children in Niger. When you put all this together, it’s been a traumatic week for parents, leaders, and our security men.”

“We thank God for the safe return of 100 children and the government’s efforts in this,” said Jo Newhouse*, Open Doors spokesperson for work in sub-Saharan Africa. “We continue to pray and trust that all the children and staff will be safely returned home before Christmas.”

“However, more must be done to secure the release of all Nigerians who have been kidnapped. Leah Sharibu and so many Chibok girls have remained in captivity for years, and their parents have received no news about any efforts to bring them home. Many of these parents have reportedly developed health problems because the stress. Continue to pray for Leah, the Chibok girls and thousands others whose names do not reach the news.”

“My directive to our security forces remains that all the students and other abducted Nigerians across the country must be rescued and brought back home safely. We must account for all the victims,” said President Bola Tinubu following the students’ release.   

The development comes as a US congressional delegation visited Nigeria to meet government officials and church leaders to discuss the vulnerability of many Christians in the country. Congressman Riley Moore said the talks had focused on steps to enhance security and that a joint Nigeria-U.S. task force would be created.

“There is much work still to be done, but things are moving in the right direction,” he said.

Please pray

• Praise God for the release of those held, and pray that they will recover from their ordeal
• For the imminent release of the students and staff still in captivity, and others in the country who have been kidnapped
• That recent developments will lead to decisive steps towards lasting protection, justice and restoration for vulnerable Christians in Nigeria.

24 November 2025

315 students and staff kidnapped from school in Nigeria 

Your prayers are needed after 303 students and 12 staff were kidnapped from a school in Niger State, north west Nigeria, in one of the largest ever mass abductions in the country. 

The incident happened in the early hours of Friday (21 November) at St Mary’s, a school in the Papiri community in Agwara Local Government Area (LGA). The number taken includes 88 students who were captured as they tried to escape. However, 50 of those taken have since managed to escape over the weekend. It’s believed that 253 students and 12 staff remain held. St Mary’s is a Catholic school, though it is not yet known what percentage of those taken are Christians.  

Escalation in abductions  

In response to this latest kidnapping, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered the hiring of 30,000 more police officers, as well as the removal of all officers from VIP protection services to focus on core duties, especially in remote areas prone to attacks. The government has instructed the closure of nearly 50 federal colleges, and public schools in some states have been shut.  

Whilst kidnappings for ransom have commonly been used to terrorise and impoverish communities, former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana, believes that the sudden escalation in abductions could be because armed groups want to use children as ‘human shields’ following the recent increase in global attention paid to violence against Christians in Nigeria. 

According to Open Doors local sources and partners on the ground, people have been warned to not travel in groups. That makes them more vulnerable to kidnapping, which they expect to only increase in the coming weeks.  

Thousands of children unschooled  

The apparent failure of the government to protect civilians has widespread effects, with more than 10,000 schools closed in northern Nigeria due to the current insecurity, exposing millions of children to illiteracy, early marriage and poverty. This vulnerability makes it easier for Islamist militant groups to recruit them, worsening the spiral of violence and oppression.  

“We are deeply saddened by these latest kidnappings in northern Nigeria,” says Jo Newhouse*, Open Doors spokesperson for the work in sub-Saharan Africa. “We are immediately taken back to the Chibok girls kidnapping in 2014, of which many girls – now women – are still in captivity. We urge the Nigerian government to do everything in its power to safely return these student and teachers to their families, and ensure that schools are protected from such attacks. Closing schools are a short-term solution and all children should be free and safe to attend school and receive an education.”  

How can you help? 

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support for our persecuted family in Nigeria and throughout sub-Saharan Africa. As well as praying yourself, could you also encourage your church or house group to pray, too? If you’ve yet to already, please sign the Arise Africa petition and share it with others. And with the latest World Watch List due out in January, please invite your MP to the Parliamentary launch, so they can hear first-hand the suffering facing Christians in sub-Saharan African and worldwide and what they can do to help. Thank you! 

*Name changed for security reasons