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On Friday, November 21, more than 300 children and 12 teachers were taken from St. Mary's School in northwest Nigeria, a Christian school. The majority of the students at the school are in the early and primary years.
"Everybody seems to be worried, people are angry, everybody is disturbed," a senior church leader told Open Doors partners after the kidnapping. "Within seven days, children were taken away from Kebbi [State, which borders Niger State]. Then we moved to the kidnapping and the gun attack in Kwara [State, which also borders Niger State] and then the kidnapping of children in Niger [State]. When you put all this together, you know it's been a traumatic week for parents, leaders, and our security forces."
"We thank God for the safe return of 100 children and the government's efforts in this."
Jo Newhouse*, OD spokesperson
The weekend after the kidnapping, 50 students managed to escape. And now, praise God, the Nigerian government announced that 100 more of those taken have been rescued!
The Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Reverend Bulus Yohanna and proprietor of the St. Mary's Catholic Church, confirmed the release of 100 kidnapping victims.
According to Open Doors' local field contacts, the full list of names of those rescued has not yet been released, and it's unclear if any of the 12 teachers is among the 100. It's also unclear whether the children were rescued or freed after a ransom was paid. Some Open Doors partners report that Bishop Yohanna was in meetings with the National Security Adviser to the President of Nigeria, where it was communicated that the students would be released in batches.
Many parents have expressed their distress at the lack of information from authorities. The kidnapping and ongoing insecurity in northern Nigeria have been immensely stressful for those directly affected and for Christians in the north in general. Open Doors' sources shared that one father, whose three daughters were among those taken from St. Mary's, died from a heart attack on Monday, November 24.
"We thank God for the safe return of 100 children and the government's efforts in this," says Jo Newhouse*, OD spokesperson for the work in sub-Saharan Africa. "We continue to pray and trust that all the children and staff will be safely returned home before Christmas.
"However, more must be done to secure the release of all Nigerians who have been kidnapped. Leah Sharibu and so many Chibok girls have remained in captivity for years, and their parents have received no news about any efforts to bring them home. Many of these parents have reportedly developed health problems because of the stress.
"Continue to pray for Leah, the Chibok girls and thousands others whose names do not reach the news."
*Name changed to protect security
