The 24 Nigerian girls who were abducted from their government school in the northwestern part of the country last week have been safely rescued, said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, November 25, as Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for those who are still captive.
“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must put as a matter of urgency more boots on the ground in the vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping,” said Tinubu in a statement.
Initially, it was reported that 25 girls had been abducted from their school in Kebbi, Nigeria, on November 17, but it was actually 24. The attack, which was carried out in the early morning hours by armed militants, killed the school's vice principal and injured a teacher.
There were no details released about the rescue mission or the perpetrators of the kidnapping.
Pope Leo appeals for release of children
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the kidnapping of priests, faithful, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon. I feel great pain, above all for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their distressed families. I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release," said Pope Leo over the weekend.
"Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours, and that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope."
Some separately kidnapped children escape
On November 20, just days after the schoolgirls were kidnapped from their school in Kebbi, armed men seized more than 300 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary's School in Papiri, Niger state, Nigeria.
Over the weekend, 50 of these children escaped their captors.
“As of Sunday, 23 November 2025, we wish to inform the public that fifty (50) pupils who were previously abducted have successfully escaped and reunited with their parents. This encouraging development comes just days after bandits attacked our school and abducted a total of 315 individuals comprising 289 pupils (primary school), 14 secondary school students and 12 staff members. The pupils who escaped did so between Friday and Saturday,” said Fr. Jatau Luka Joseph of the Diocese of Kontagora.
While news of the escapes were encouraging, there are still many people in captivity.
"Out of 315 individuals initially reported abducted, 265 remain in captivity. This figure includes 239 pupils, 14 students and 12 staff members who are yet to return," said Joseph.
School kidnappings frequent in Nigeria
The kidnapping of the students at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School and St. Mary's School are just the latest in a series of abductions in Nigeria.
The act of mass kidnappings for ransom first made international news back in 2014, when 270 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria. A decade after that kidnapping, about a third of the girls remain missing.
Since the Chibok abduction, there have been at least 1,500 other students kidnapped from their schools, said CBS News.
Nigeria has since banned the paying of ransoms in an attempt to dissuade groups from kidnapping children.
Earlier in November, a teenage seminarian was released about four months after he was kidnapped from his seminary in July.
