Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A group of 50 schoolchildren who were kidnapped from St. Mary's School in Niger state Friday have escaped, the Christian Association of Nigeria reported Sunday. More than 250 people remain in captivity.
The students range in age from 15 to 18 and escaped between Friday and Saturday, the Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of CAN said Sunday.
Some of the students hid in bushes to escape their captors, Bloomberg reported. Local farmers helped the children escape, according to Daniel Atori a St. Mary's schools spokesperson.
School abductions have become more frequent in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, and symbolic of growing insecurity and fear in the region, led by armed gangs targeting schools and demanding ransom for captured students.
Related
