Gunmen raided Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, Nigeria, last Friday, abducting 303 students and 12 teachers in one of the country's largest mass kidnappings.
The attack is part of a spate of school abductions that has prompted northern states to close schools and the government to shut 47 colleges.
Authorities and local groups have launched search-and-rescue operations involving police, military, and hunters in surrounding areas.
Fifty of the abducted students escaped between Friday and Saturday, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Catholic Church.
These pupils have been reunited with their families, providing some relief amid the crisis.
However, around 253 individuals, including the 12 staff members, remain in captivity.
Parents have gathered at the school in hopes of reuniting with their children.
One parent, Amose Ibrahim, whose three children including a six-year-old were taken, reported that his kids were not among the escapees.
Many families continue to wait anxiously at the site.
This incident follows another kidnapping just days earlier in Kebbi State, where 25 schoolgirls were abducted and one has since escaped, leaving 24 missing.
In a separate event, Nigerian security forces rescued 38 people abducted during a church service in Kwara State, though two died in the attack.
The United Nations Children’s Fund described the abductions as a brutal violation of children’s rights and called for immediate releases.
Pope Leo appealed for the hostages' freedom during a mass in Rome.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened military action over alleged targeting of Christians, a stance echoed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after meetings with Nigerian officials.
The Nigerian government disputes this narrative, noting that Muslims form the majority of victims in such attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the school raids, and the attackers' identities remain unclear.