Nigeria: School children released - but kidnapping still a national crisis

Entrance to St Mary's Catholic School, Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State. Image by © ACN

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

As Catholic school children in Nigeria were finally freed from captivity, a new study was released showing more than 200 priests have been kidnapped in the country.

Yesterday (Monday, 22nd December), authorities said the remaining 130 students and teachers kidnapped from St Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State on 21st November had now been released.

But fresh research carried out by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria found that between 2015 and 2025, at least 212 Catholic priests were abducted.

The report, which was shared with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), showed kidnappings in at least 41 of the country's 59 Catholic dioceses.

With data from 18 dioceses not yet submitted, the real scale of the problem is almost certainly higher - ACN has independently recorded isolated kidnapping cases in at least five dioceses not in the study.

Dr Caroline Hull, national director of ACN (UK), who has travelled extensively in Nigeria underlined the scale of the crisis.

She said: "We warmly welcome the terrific news that the school children have been released - even if at the same time we are shocked by data suggesting priests could be targeted for kidnapping. And Nigeria's bishops have stressed that this new report on kidnapped priests only shows the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger problem - for example, it does not include figures for members of religious orders who were abducted."

The study found that many priests were kidnapped from their presbyteries and while travelling for pastoral work or to celebrate Mass.

While 183 diocesan priests were released or escaped, 12 were murdered and three died later as a result of injuries suffered during captivity.

At least six priests were kidnapped more than once, and four remain in captivity - Father John Bako Shekwolo, Father Pascal Bobbo, Father Emmanuel Ezema, and Father Joseph Igweagu.

The bishops' report on the kidnappings also noted that ongoing violence has seen entire Christian villages displaced, parishes abandoned and pastoral life severely disrupted.

In Minna Diocese, more than 90 churches were forced to close due to sustained terrorist activity and chronic insecurity.

Dr Hull said: "As I saw when I visited the country, bandit attacks wreak havoc on the local Christian communities.

"In Adama Dutse, a remote Catholic village in the Archdiocese of Kaduna, bandits killed 11 people and injured a further 12 in one attack alone. We need to keep our brothers and sisters - and all those affected by the violence in Nigeria - in our prayers."

Pupils as young as six were among 253 children, and 12 members of staff, who were seized from St Mary's Catholic School in November 2025.

The raid on the school was preceded by two mass kidnappings, including the abduction of 38 worshippers from Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, Kwara State on 18th November.

And the previous day, 25 schoolgirls - both Christian and Muslim - were taken from the Government Girls' Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.

All abductees have now been freed.

The UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has stated that kidnapping for ransom by bandits is widespread across Nigeria "and could occur anywhere" - particularly in the north-west - with terrorist groups also carrying out abductions.

With thanks to Maria Lozano

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Aid to the Church in Need: https://acnuk.org