50 kidnapped Catholic school students in Nigeria escape as some schools ordered to close

Fifty of the students kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school on Friday have escaped and are now reunited with their families bureaucrats stated Sunday as schools across Niger remain closed following the attack The students ages to escaped individually between Friday and Saturday according to the The greater part Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state and the school s proprietor A total of students and teachers from St Mary's School are still being held Yohanna explained adding We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit various parents Authorities did not provide further details about how the children escaped or where the remaining students and teachers were being held TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS EFFORTS TO STOP CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA WITH AID THREATPope Leo XIV called for the immediate release of the children and school staff saying at the end of a mass in St Peter s Square on Sunday that he was deeply saddened by the happening I feel great sorrow especially for the various girls and boys who have been abducted and for their anguished families the pontiff reported I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent officers to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack The Associated Press announced The outlet added that government revealed tactical squads and local hunters were working to rescue the kidnapped children CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA KIDNAPPED BY GUNMEN IN LATEST ATTACK REPORTNiger State fast shut down all schools after Friday s attack while the Nigerian administration also closed several federal colleges in conflict-prone areas across the region The attack at St Mary s came just four days after armed men kidnapped girls from a boarding school in Kebbi State killing at least one staff member The search for the missing girls is ongoing Meanwhile worshippers kidnapped during a deadly church attack in central Nigeria s Kwara State have been freed Gov AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq explained Sunday Gunmen had attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku town on Tuesday killing two and taking others hostage President Bola Tinubu credited the efforts of assurance agencies for securing their release but offered no further details Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a country of particular concern However the Nigerian authorities has disputed the U S 's indicates I m really angry about it the president recounted Fox News Radio on Friday What s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace Fox News Digital s Rachel Wolf and Anders Hagstrom along with The Associated Press contributed to this record