Pope Leo XIV has urged for the immediate release of over 300 hostages abducted from Catholic schools in Nigeria, in what is being described as one of the country’s largest mass school kidnappings.
Speaking during his Angelus prayer on Sunday, the Pope expressed profound sadness over the kidnappings of priests, students, and church members in Nigeria and Cameroon.
“I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages,” Pope Leo said, adding his “deep sorrow, especially for the many young boys and girls kidnapped and for their anguished families.”
He also called on the faithful to pray that churches and schools remain safe havens for all.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported that gunmen abducted more than 300 students and teachers during attacks on two schools in the country.
The first incident occurred on Monday when gunmen stormed a secondary school in Kebbi State, abducting 25 girls.
This was followed by an early Friday raid on St Mary’s co-educational school in Niger State.
These incidents coincided with an attack on a church in western Nigeria, where two people were killed and dozens more were abducted.
The spate of kidnappings has attracted international attention, including threats of military intervention from U.S President Donald Trump, citing the persecution of Christians in the country.
The kidnappings have revived painful memories of the Chibok abductions over a decade ago, when nearly 300 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Borno State; some of those girls remain missing.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Information Prof. Jerry Gana warned that the recent surge in mass abductions may be a deliberate tactic by bandits anticipating international military action.
Speaking at an event in Abuja honoring the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Gana suggested that schoolchildren and villagers are being used as human shields to evade potential aerial strikes.
Gana explained that most of the recent kidnappings occurred near forested corridors, which bandits perceive as safe zones if military interventions escalate.
He added that intelligence suggests the attacks may be a direct reaction to President Trump’s recent warnings regarding the killings in Nigeria.
“These kidnappings are alarming for all Nigerians, especially elders and statesmen, as young people continue to be targeted across various regions,” Gana said.
“There are credible indications that the bandits are responding to external pressure by mobilizing human shields, targeting schools and villages in forested areas.”
