🔗 Share this article Release Secured for A Hundred Taken Nigerian Schoolchildren, but A Large Number Are Still Captive Nigerian authorities have obtained the freedom of one hundred abducted pupils taken by attackers from a religious school the previous month, per reports from a source within the UN and regional news outlets this past Sunday. Nevertheless, the whereabouts of an additional 165 students and staff believed to still be in captivity remained uncertain. Context During November, 315 individuals were kidnapped from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in central a Nigerian state, as the country faced a wave of group seizures similar to the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of schoolgirls in a town in north-east Nigeria. Approximately 50 managed to flee shortly afterward, leaving two hundred and sixty-five thought to be in captivity. The Handover The 100 students are scheduled to be transferred to Niger state officials this Monday, stated by the source. “They will be released to Niger state government on Monday,” the individual told AFP. News outlets also reported that the release of the hostages had been achieved, though they lacked specifics on if it was done through talks or armed intervention, or about the situation of the remaining hostages. The liberation of the youngsters was verified to the press by an official representative an official. Reaction “We've been praying and waiting for their release, if it is true then it is positive event,” said Daniel Atori, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which runs the school. “Yet, we are not formally informed and have not been duly notified by the federal government.” Security Situation While kidnappings for ransom are widespread in the country as a means for criminals and armed groups to generate revenue, in a series of large-scale kidnappings in November, hundreds were abducted, placing an harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s serious security situation. The nation confronts a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while marauding gangs perpetrate abductions and raid villages in the northwestern region, and disputes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources persist in the country’s centre. Additionally, armed groups linked to separatist movements also haunt the nation's unsettled south-east. Historical Precedent A first mass kidnappings that drew global concern was in 2014, when about 300 girls were taken from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the militant group. Now, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom problem has “become a organized, revenue-generating enterprise” that generated approximately a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, stated in a recent report by a Lagos-based research firm.