{"id":5244,"date":"2025-11-24T21:42:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T21:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/?p=5244"},"modified":"2025-12-26T21:44:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T21:44:50","slug":"pope-demands-release-of-300-children-kidnapped-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/pope-demands-release-of-300-children-kidnapped-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Demands Release of 300 Children Kidnapped in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ngala Killian Chimton, OSV News<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(OSV News) \u2013 During the Nov. 23 Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV appealed for the release of over 300 children and teachers abducted from a Catholic school in central Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he was \u201cdeeply saddened to learn of the kidnapping,\u201d mentioning not only Nigeria<\/a>, but also Cameroon, where six Catholic priests from the Archdiocese of Bamenda were kidnapped in Ndop, Cameroon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel great pain, above all for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their distressed families,\u201d Pope Leo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He asked for prayers that \u201cchurches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of children abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school on Nov. 21 has been updated to 303 schoolchildren, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Nov. 22. Twelve teachers also have been taken by gunmen<\/a>. Earlier reports indicated that 215 schoolchildren had been abducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18, CAN said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna said 88 students were \u201ccaptured after they tried to escape\u201d during the attack and a final census carried out confirmed the number of kidnapped children is bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora in Nigeria\u2019s Niger state confirmed the kidnapping in a statement issued Nov. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed by the diocesan secretary, Father Jatau Luka Joseph, the statement indicates that gunmen attacked St. Mary\u2019s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, in the Agwarra local government area, between 1 and 3 a.m. local time on Nov. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they abducted students and teachers, the gunmen badly shot security personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diocese urges calm and prayers after mass abduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The diocese said it \u201cstrongly condemns the attack and expresses deep concern<\/a> for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSecurity agencies were immediately informed and have begun coordinated efforts to ensure the safe rescue and return of the victims.\u201d Father Jatau said in the statement, assuring that the diocese \u201cis actively collaborating with security operatives, community leaders, and government authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diocese urged the public to remain calm, support security efforts, and continue praying for the safe and quick return of all those abducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Christian Association of Nigeria<\/a> also condemned the attack and expressed \u201cdeep concern for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCAN also reaffirms our commitment to the protection of children and promises to provide further updates as verified information becomes available,\u201d the statement said. \u201cMay the Lord grant quick release to those abducted and continue to protect his people from all dangers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian Prime minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the \u201crenewed violence against Christian communities<\/a> in Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReligious freedom is an inviolable right: we call on the Nigerian government to strengthen the protection of Christian and all religious communities and to prosecute those responsible for these brutal attacks,\u201d she said on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cItaly expresses its deepest sympathy to the victims and to the communities in Nigeria who today feel threatened because of their religious beliefs,\u201d Meloni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Niger state\u2019s Police Command said it had already deployed police to Papiri to ensure that the kidnapped students and teachers are freed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPolice tactical units, military components and other security agencies have moved to the scene, combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students,\u201d said Wasiu Abiodun, public relations officer for the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the goal is \u201cto rescue the students unhurt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warnings emerge about plan to eradicate Christianity from Nigeria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Niger state kidnapping comes just five days after a similar attack in neighboring Kebbi state, where 25 girls were abducted from a government school. The vice principal of the school was killed during that attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Nov. 19, attackers stormed Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, killing three worshippers and abducting<\/a> several others, including the pastor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No group has taken responsibility for the string of attacks, but advocates now say strongly that what happens to Christians in Nigeria is genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs there anyone who can say that there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria?\u201d asked Emeka Umeagbalasi, director of the Catholic-inspired nongovernmental organization Intersociety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a deliberate plan to wipe out Christianity from Nigeria,\u201d he told OSV News Nov. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest Intersociety report revealed that an average of 32 Christians are killed in Nigeria every day. The report published in August indicates that as many as 7,000 Christians were massacred<\/a> across Nigeria in the first 220 days of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It said at least 185,000 people, including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 moderate Muslims had been killed in Nigeria since 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, which covers the period from 2010 to October 2025, details the destruction of 19,100 churches and the seizure of 1,100 Christian communities by Islamic extremist forces allegedly protected by the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NGO also issued an updated version, indicating that between Oct. 28 and Nov. 17, 113 Christians were killed in Nigeria and 135 others were abducted, according to Umeagbalasi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increase in attacks heightens fears for Christians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The report also highlights a pattern of targeting spiritual leaders<\/a>, with 600 clerics abducted and dozens more killed or missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t know what to say anymore after this latest kidnapping attack in Niger State, Nigeria, at St. Mary\u2019s Catholic School,\u201d Sean Nelson, senior counsel of ADF International Christian advocacy group, said on X on Nov. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe terrorists want to destroy the futures of a generation of young girls & boys. They want to destroy Christians,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are enemies of civilization,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Videos posted on social media indicated that a statue of Virgin Mary was vandalized and burned on the premises of St. Mary\u2019s school, from where over 300 children were taken Nov. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigeria returned to the U.S. list of countries of \u201cparticular concern\u201d over Christian persecution<\/a> with President Donald Trump announcing the designation Oct. 31 to protect Christianity, which he said was \u201cfacing an existential threat in Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also threatened to halt all aid to Nigeria and launch military action if the government fails to stop the killings. He later instructed the Department of Defense, which he has nicknamed Department of War, to prepare for possible \u201caction\u201d \u2014 a move that brought mixed reactions from church leaders in Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured image: Metal beds in a hostel room are seen Nov. 18, 2025, after gunmen attacked a government boarding school for girls in Nigeria\u2019s Kebbi state Nov. 17, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 female students, according to police in Kebbi. Four days later an unspecified number of students and teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school in Nigeria\u2019s Niger state, adding to a growing number of attacks on Christians in the West African nation. (OSV News\/Africa Independent Television via Reuters)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The increase in kidnappings and attacks in Nigeria heightens fears of an organized campaign against Christians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":5245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1053],"tags":[1450,1449,1451,1313,1452,1453,1455,1454,1456,1282,1420,701],"class_list":["post-5244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-300-children-and-teachers-kidnapped","tag-christian-association-of-nigeria","tag-christian-genocide","tag-christian-persecution","tag-diocese-of-kontagora","tag-emeka-umeagbalasi","tag-kebbi","tag-kidnap","tag-ngala-killian-chimton","tag-nigeria","tag-pope-leo","tag-pope-leo-xiv"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPope Demands Release of 300 Children Kidnapped in Nigeria - Maryknoll Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pope Demands Release of 300 Children Kidnapped in Nigeria - 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