In a glimmer of hope amidst a harrowing crisis, fifty of the over 300 children abducted from St Mary’s co-education school in Niger state, Nigeria, have managed to escape their captors, according to a statement released by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Sunday. The children, aged between eight and 18, fled between Friday and Saturday and have since been reunited with their families. This development follows a brazen attack by gunmen on Friday, who stormed the school and kidnapped 303 students and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass abductions in the country’s history. The incident has exacerbated growing security concerns in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, prompting widespread school closures. Earlier in the week, a similar attack occurred in Kebbi state, where 25 girls were abducted from a secondary school. Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN chairman in Niger State, expressed cautious relief but urged continued prayers for the safe return of the remaining victims. The Nigerian government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the abduction.