A significant number of children abducted from a Catholic school in Nigeria were merely 5 years old, as revealed by a nun who also shared the story of 50 students managing to flee over the weekend.
Mary Barron, the head of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), detailed the abduction of 303 children from St. Mary’s School in Nigeria’s Papiri community last Friday. She described many of these children as “tiny,” according to a report from the BBC.
“In regions like these where educational opportunities are scarce, families often send their children to boarding schools starting from nursery level. This means that many of the missing children are from primary school,” Barron explained.
By Sunday, school officials reported that 50 students, aged between 10 and 18, had individually managed to escape between Friday and Saturday. However, 253 students and 12 teachers remained in captivity.
Images shared by the Christian Association of Nigeria show the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School following the abduction of children and staff by gunmen in Papiri community, Nigeria, on Friday, November 21, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)
Barron recounted how the 50 children evaded their captors by climbing over a wall and fleeing into the bush.
“They said they walked and walked, because they knew they couldn’t walk back to the school, so they just kept walking until they found something familiar,” she said.
This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community in Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)
No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack, The Associated Press reported. The outlet added that authorities said tactical squads and local hunters were working to rescue the kidnapped children.
It remains unclear where the remaining students and teachers were being held.
“I really keep hope alive,” Barron said. “I really believe if there is a concerted effort, if we get enough people mobilized with the resources necessary to try to find these children, then it can happen.”
In this photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria, a man walks past belongings at the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community, Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)
Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern.” However, the Nigerian government has disputed the U.S. claims.
