A Christian organization in Nigeria says that 50 of the 300+ Catholic schoolchildren kidnapped last week by Muslim jihadists have escaped and returned to their families.
This Thanksgiving, as we thank God for all the blessings in our lives, we should also remember to pray for victims of political and religious persecution worldwide. The genocide in Nigeria has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Christians, with thousands more abducted and millions displaced. Islamic jihad fuels the violence, and the kidnappers in the recent tragic attack were reportedly Muslim Fulani herdsmen.
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chairman Rev. Bulus Yohanna said in a statement Sunday obtained by the press that 50 out of the 303 children kidnapped from St. Mary’s School in the Papiri community of the Agwara local government area did escape. The news comes at the same time as the president of Nigeria announced that 38 people abducted from a church service last week were also successfully rescued. Two victims of that attack died.
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French outlet RFI, which obtained the CAN statement, provided the following details:
The schoolchildren, aged between 10 and 18, escaped individually between Friday and Saturday and have since been reunited with their parents.
A total of 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers are still in captivity, added Yohanna – a Catholic Bishop who is also the proprietor of the school.
Pope Leo XIV has called for the immediate release of the remaining schoolchildren and staff.
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The reality is that not only the Catholic Church, but numerous Christian denominations, should be fundraising and campaigning on behalf of the persecuted Nigerians, who live the deadliest country in the world for Christians. Donald Trump recently designated Nigeria a country of particular concern for religious freedom, a designation that was previously removed by the Biden administration.
We cannot forget that more than 250 victims of the kidnapping are still in the hands of their vicious captors. Because many of the kidnapped girls are between 12 and 17 years old, there are fears they could be trafficked into sexual slavery.”
Blessing Jammeh, whose 18-year-old and 12-year-old children were kidnapped, mourned to RFI, “My children and those of other parents were taken into the bush, without clothes or shoes. They are suffering outside. This situation hurts me so much. Children are supposed to go to school. Since when should we be wary of sending our children to school?”
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Archbishop Daniel C. Okoh, president of CAN, recently called for aid to the persecuted and decisive action against the persecutors. “This is not a political demand; it is a humanitarian, moral, and spiritual obligation. We must stand together as one body, with one voice, pursuing one mission—the protection of the sanctity of human life and the dignity of all citizens. We must be united in our approach and in our demand for justice for victims of these heinous acts,” he said.
May God bring all the children and staff home to their families.
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