A bishop in Nigeria has welcomed news that five people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of more than 300 young people and staff from a Catholic school in Nigeria last year.
The suspects have been accused of providing logistical support and weapons to the group responsible for the kidnapping, according to Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS). Security sources stated that a large cache of weapons was seized during the operation, including 15 AK-47 rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition.
The arrests follow an attack on St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Kontagora, north-west Nigeria, in which bandits abducted 289 primary school pupils, 14 secondary school students and 12 staff on 21 November 2025.
It was confirmed the following month that all 315 students and staff had been accounted for and reunited with their families.
The local bishop has welcomed news of the arrests. Bulus Yohanna of Kontagora told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that he hoped the arrests would bring hope to the victims and their families:
“Families will be relieved and happy to know that those who planned the abduction of their children have been arrested. This is truly good news.”
However, he stressed that arrests alone are not enough and called on the authorities to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted and brought to justice through a transparent legal process:
“It is one thing to apprehend individuals, but it is another thing to hold them accountable through appropriate punishment.
“Such action is necessary not only to provide justice for the victims and their families, but also to serve as a deterrent to others who may have similar intentions.”
Bishop Yohana called on the Nigerian authorities to conduct all legal proceedings publicly and transparently, ensuring that victims’ families are informed of the outcomes. And he appealed to the global community not to lose interest in the case, adding: “We expect the international community, including organisations such as ACN, to continue advocating for accountability and insisting that those responsible are properly punished.”
Northern and central Nigeria have witnessed a series of killings, and mass kidnappings of students, clergy and civilians by criminals and extremists in recent years, leaving many Christian communities living under the constant threat of violence.
(Photograph shows some of the rescued pupils from St Mary's Catholic School.)