🔗 Share this article

Officials in Nigeria have obtained the freedom of a hundred seized schoolchildren seized by gunmen from a religious school last month, per reports from a UN source and Nigerian press on Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of another 165 students and staff presumed to still be held captive stayed unclear.

The Incident

Last month, three hundred and fifteen people were abducted from a co-educational residential school in central a Nigerian state, as the country was gripped by a series of mass abductions reminiscent of the notorious 2014 jihadist group abduction of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Some 50 got away soon after, leaving two hundred and sixty-five presumed in captivity.

Freedom for Some

The one hundred children are set to be released to state authorities this Monday, stated by the source.

“They are scheduled to be handed over to state authorities tomorrow,” the individual informed a news agency.

News outlets also stated that the release of the students had been obtained, but did not provide information on if it was achieved via negotiation or military force, and no details on the whereabouts of the other individuals.

The release of the youngsters was announced to AFP by an official representative Sunday Dare.

Reaction

“For a long time we were praying and waiting for their return, should this be accurate then it is wonderful news,” said a spokesman, representing Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which manages the institution.

“Nevertheless, we are without official confirmation and have not received proper notification by the government.”

Broader Context

While abductions for money are prevalent in the nation as a way for illegal actors to make quick cash, in a spate of mass abductions in November, many people were seized, casting an critical spotlight on the country's serious security situation.

The nation faces a protracted jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while armed bandit gangs conduct abductions and loot communities in the north-west, and clashes between farmers and herders over diminishing farmland continue in the country’s centre.

Additionally, militant factions associated with secessionist agendas also are active in the nation's volatile south-east.

Historical Precedent

One of the earliest mass kidnappings that drew worldwide outrage was in 2014, when about three hundred girls were snatched from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

Ten years on, the country's hostage-taking problem has “become a structured, profit-seeking enterprise” that generated approximately a significant sum between last year, according to a recent report by a Nigerian research firm.