Newscasts - Fifty out of more than 300 students kidnapped in Nigeria escape

SM Energy

24/11/2025 15:59

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Source: 'Reuters - General news videos'

Description: Fifty of the more than 300 students kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school last week have escaped and have been reunited with their parents, the Catholic Church and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said on Sunday. David Doyle has more.

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Video Transcript:

50 out of over 300 students abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school last week have escaped. That's according to the Catholic Church and the Christian Association of Nigeria, who said the children had been reunited with their parents. But that still leaves around 253 students and 12 staff members with the kidnappers Bulus Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Association. The pupils were taken from St. Mary's school in Niger state west of the capital of Abuja on Friday.

We're going to do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about,-

The attack took place amid pressure on Nigeria from the United States.

Guns are blazing-

Which has threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country. However, analysts have said that while there are numerous incidents of faith-based violence, Muslims have suffered just as much as Christians. In Abuja on Sunday, some like Ifeoma Aneke said, people don't feel safe.

I don't think people are sleeping with their eyes closed. If you hear any noise anywhere, you will just wake up because everywhere is not safe.

Friday's was the latest in a spate of recent attacks that have forced some northern states to shut schools. Nigeria's North suffers from widespread insecurity, ranging from a jihadist insurgency in the Northeast to armed gangs known as bandits in the Northwest, who carry out kidnappings for ransom and hide in forests. They are spread over a vast area, leaving Nigeria's military stretched. Ikemesit Effiong, a senior analyst with Lagos Based Consultancy, SBM Intelligence, said Nigeria's intelligence apparatus is well developed enough to give a clear idea of where the groups are, how they operate, and what their likely targets will be.

The problem is that the security architecture to you properly utilize that intelligence on an operational level is still not fully built out.

The task ahead is immense.

On Sunday, President Bola Tinubu ordered the hiring of 30,000 more police officers at a meeting with security chiefs. He also directed the removal of all police from VIP protection services to focus on core duties, especially in remote areas prone to attacks.