Pope Leo XIV Demands Immediate Release of 315 Kidnapped Students, Teachers In Niger
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for the release of over 300 hostages taken from the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri in the Agwarra local government of Niger State.
The Pope said “I learned with immense sadness the news of the kidnappings of priests, faithful, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon”.
“I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages,” Leo said, expressing his “deep sorrow, especially for the many young boys and girls kidnapped and for their anguished families”.
“Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours and that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope,” he said at the end of the Angelus prayer.
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said gunmen had kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in raids on the Niger State school.
Giving an update on the St. Mary’s Schools’ kidnapping on Saturday, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, gave the number of victims as 315, contrary to the 227 earlier reported.
He gave the update after a verification exercise, and a final census was carried out.
A breakdown of newly released data showed that 303 students and 12 teachers were affected.
