Catholic Bishop Condemns Nigeria's Inaction on School Kidnapping

Wed Nov 26 2025 18:20:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a heated exchange with authorities, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna criticizes the Nigerian government for failing to act decisively in the rescue of over 250 abducted children from a Catholic school.

Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna has publicly condemned the Nigerian government for its lack of meaningful action in the rescue of 250 children abducted from St Mary's School in Niger state. His statements come amid conflicting reports between the church and state officials regarding the response to the kidnapping, which highlights the ongoing security crisis in Nigeria. Authorities insist they are mobilizing efforts to ensure the children's safe return, but concerns about inadequate responses persist.

Nigeria's government is making no meaningful effort to rescue more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic boarding school in the central state of Niger last Friday, the main Catholic cleric in the region has told the BBC.

But Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna's accusation was disputed by the state's police chief, who accused the school of failing to cooperate with its search and rescue operations.

It is unclear who abducted the children from St Mary's school in Papiri village, but criminal gangs have been involved in kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria.

US President Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Nigeria if the government fails to stop the killing of Christians.

Nigeria is the most populous state in Africa, with a large Christian and Muslim population. Its government says that people of all faiths and no faith are victims of insecurity in the country.

Militant Islamist groups are also waging an insurgency in Nigeria, with the government confirming last week that a senior army general had been killed by jihadists in an ambush in north-eastern Borno state.

The Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says that 303 students and 12 members of staff were abducted from the school in Papiri village, but 50 children managed to escape and have been reunited with their families.

Bishop Yohanna, who is also the chairman of the Niger chapter of CAN, told the BBC that the only official action taken so far to rescue the students had been to compile their names.

He refuted the allegations made by Niger state's governor that the church had ignored an order to close the school after threats of attacks, stating, We did not receive any order at any point.

Responding to criticism about the presence of police in Papiri, Niger state police chief Adamu Abdullahi Elleman said enough had been deployed despite the apparent lack of visible officers at the school, insisting a tactical police team was stationed in the community.

Amidst the criticism, police chief Kayode Egbetokun assured that efforts would be intensified to locate and rescue the kidnapped children, emphasizing readiness to do everything to ensure their safe release.

The abduction marked a troubling surge in school kidnappings in Nigeria, prompting increased fears and school closures across the country.