A recent kidnapping incident in Nigeria has left hundreds of families in distress as many of the abducted children from a Catholic school are reported to be as young as five years old. A nun has revealed details about the abduction and the dramatic escape of some students over the weekend.

Mary Barron, the superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), shared insights into the situation at St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Nigeria, where 303 children were taken by kidnappers last Friday. She described the young age of many of the children, noting that they were “tiny,” according to a report by the BBC.

“In regions like this, where educational opportunities are scarce, families often send their children to boarding schools from a very young age. Consequently, most of the missing children are from the primary school level,” Barron explained.

In a positive turn of events, school officials announced on Sunday that 50 students, aged between 10 and 18, managed to escape on their own between Friday and Saturday. However, 253 students and 12 teachers remain missing.

The Christian Association of Nigeria released a photograph depicting the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School following the abduction of the children and staff in Papiri community on Friday, November 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

Barron said the 50 children escaped their captors by jumping over a wall and running into the bush.

“They said they walked and walked, because they knew they couldn’t walk back to the school, so they just kept walking until they found something familiar,” she said.

This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community in Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack, The Associated Press reported. The outlet added that authorities said tactical squads and local hunters were working to rescue the kidnapped children.

It remains unclear where the remaining students and teachers were being held.

“I really keep hope alive,” Barron said. “I really believe if there is a concerted effort, if we get enough people mobilized with the resources necessary to try to find these children, then it can happen.”

In this photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria, a man walks past belongings at the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community, Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern.” However, the Nigerian government has disputed the U.S. claims.