The final 130 schoolchildren and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, have been freed after nearly a month in captivity, bringing an end to one of the largest school kidnappings in Nigeria recently.

According to Reuters, authorities confirmed that no students remain in captivity after the latest rescues were carried out on 21 December 2025. The mass abduction began on 21 November 2025, when armed men on motorcycles stormed the Catholic boarding school in the Agwara Local Government Area, seizing students and teachers in the early hours of the morning. Initial counts showed at least 303 pupils and 12 staff were taken before dawn, though some escaped in the chaos, according to official figures and Reuters reporting.

In the hours after the attack, around 50 children managed to escape from their captors and return home. According to ABC News, those who escaped were reunited with families in local communities as rescue efforts began.

As international and domestic outrage grew, Nigerian authorities and security forces mounted a sustained response. On 8 December 2025, around 100 students were freed in a coordinated operation, then welcomed by state officials in Minna, the capital of Niger State, where health checks and reunions with relatives followed.

The latest operation saw the remaining 130 pupils and staff released, a presidential spokesman said on social media platform X. Sunday Dare, a spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, confirmed the release and conveyed that all abducted schoolchildren had now been accounted for. Reuters reported that those freed are expected to rejoin their families as the Christmas period approaches.

Officials have said the release resulted from a military-intelligence-driven operation, though precise details of how the captives were located and freed remain limited in public statements. According to ABC News, security forces evacuated the children to safety before organising reunification with relatives and health screening.

The attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School has highlighted ongoing security challenges in northern Nigeria, where armed bandit groups and criminal gangs frequently target schools and rural communities for ransom and intimidation. The 2025 abduction bears stark resemblance to previous mass kidnappings in the region, including the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, which drew global attention to Nigeria’s insecurity problems. Reuters noted that the latest case intensified debate about protection of schools and the need for better preventive measures.

Authorities and community leaders have welcomed the news of the children’s release while urging continued action to protect educational institutions across the country. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other civil society groups have repeatedly called for effective steps to ensure that schools are safe spaces for learning, emphasising that the disruption to schooling and the trauma experienced by families must not be repeated. According to The Guardian, community leaders expressed relief but underscored the need for meaningful reforms to stop future attacks.

At this stage, the identities of the attackers and whether ransom demands were involved remain unclear, as security agencies typically do not disclose details of negotiation or rescue tactics. Investigations into the abduction and the broader pattern of school attacks across northern and central Nigeria are ongoing, with officials promising further information as it becomes available. Reuters reported that authorities would continue efforts to prosecute those responsible once they are apprehended.