The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles share with deep sorrow the news of the mass abduction that took place at St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria, in the early hours of 21 November 2025. St Mary’s is under the direction and management of the OLA Sisters, in collaboration with the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, and holds a long-standing place in the life of the surrounding community.
Shortly after 2.00 a.m. on Friday morning, armed individuals entered the school grounds and forced their way into the dormitories. Students and staff were taken in darkness and confusion, leaving families and the wider community in profound shock. The Christian Association of Nigeria has confirmed that 315 members of the school community were abducted, including pupils from the primary and secondary schools as well as several teachers and staff.
Since the attack, at least 50 pupils have escaped and returned to their families. Their accounts have brought some relief amid the grief, yet approximately 253 children and 12 teachers remain missing. Local authorities, Church leadership, and community groups are working urgently, though cautiously, to secure their release. No group has formally claimed responsibility, and the situation remains unstable.
The impact on families and the wider community is immense. Parents have gathered in the parish compound and surrounding villages in vigil, waiting for word of their children. Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, clergy of the Diocese of Kontagora, and our own sisters in Nigeria continue to accompany families in these long hours of fear and uncertainty.
In her official press release, our Congregational Leader, Sr Mary T Barron, appeals for “prayers and spiritual solidarity from Religious Congregations, Catholic institutions, faith communities, and people of goodwill around the world.” She reminds us that while the situation is grave, our collective prayer carries strength, hope, and presence at a time when the community feels most vulnerable.
Her statement, which follows below, asks the global Church and all people of goodwill to hold the following intentions:
- For the safe and swift return of the children, students, and staff.
- For protection, strength, and consolation for families who wait in anguish.
- For safety and stability across the region, where communities continue to face growing insecurity.
- For a just end to violence, and for peace rooted in dignity, compassion, and the protection of the innocent.
Support has begun to emerge from across the world. Pope Leo has publicly appealed for the release of the abducted, noting that schools should be places of safety and learning. Interfaith leaders, including the Muslim Council of Elders, have condemned the attack outright and expressed solidarity with the affected families. These gestures point to a shared moral responsibility that transcends borders, faith traditions, and national boundaries.
As OLA Sisters, our mission is rooted in presence and accompaniment, especially in moments when hope feels strained. Our sisters in Nigeria remain close to the families, offering pastoral support, holding prayer gatherings, and keeping vigil with the community. Those of us elsewhere stand with them in spirit and prayer, trusting that God’s mercy and justice hold every one of these young lives.
We will continue to update this page as reliable information becomes available.
The full press release from our Congregational Leader follws here.
For now, we ask you to join us in prayer. Hold these children gently in your heart. Remember the teachers who protected them and now find themselves among the abducted. Keep their families in your daily prayers. And pray for peace in a region where fear and instability have taken too much already.
May God protect the innocent, sustain those who wait in hope, and lead the captors toward justice and mercy. May every child and every staff member return home safely.
Press Release Diocese of Kontagora
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/africa/news/2025-11/nigeria-catholic-school-sisters-call-for-global-prayers-for-315.html
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/1123/1545436-donegal-nun-nigeria-school-order/
UPDATES:
Full text of the official Press Release-OLA Sisters follows below:
Rome, November 21, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
To all Media Houses and Friends,
OLA Sisters Call for Global Prayers for the Abducted Pupils, Students, and Staff of St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Papiri – Nigeria
The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) earnestly request the prayers and spiritual solidarity of the global Catholic Religious family following the abduction of pupils, students, and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Nigeria, schools owned by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, and under the direction and management of the OLA Sisters.
In the early hours of 21st November, armed individuals attacked the school community and forcefully took away several children and staff members. This tragic incident has caused deep anguish among families, the local community, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna and all the clergy in the Diocese, and the OLA Congregation.
At this critical and painful moment, we turn to God with trust and hope, and we ask all Religious Congregations, Catholic institutions, faith communities, and people of goodwill around the world to join us in fervent prayer:
• For the safe and swift return of the abducted pupils, students, and staff.
• For God’s protection, strength, and consolation for their families and the community of Papiri.
• For the safety and protection of our people in Nigeria, who continue to face growing insecurity.
• For an end to all forms of violence, and the restoration of peace, justice, and dignity in the area.
We believe deeply in the power of unified prayer. We need as many people as possible to lift this community before God during this moment of suffering and uncertainty.
May God, in God’s infinite mercy, protect the innocent, guide leaders to act with justice, and bring all those taken back home safely.
Thank you, one and all. God’s blessings!
Signed by Sr Mary T Barron
Congregational Leader