A significant number of students have been freed after being abducted from a school in central Nigeria last month, though many of their classmates and teachers are still missing.
According to reports, 100 children are expected to be handed over to state authorities on Monday. They were among a larger group of 265 students and staff taken from St. Mary’s boarding school in Niger state in November. Gunmen originally seized 315 people; approximately 50 managed to escape shortly after the attack.
A spokesperson for the local bishop expressed cautious hope but noted that official confirmation from federal authorities was still pending. Details surrounding the release, including whether it resulted from negotiations or a security operation, have not been made public. The condition and location of the remaining 165 individuals are unknown.
This incident is part of a devastating wave of mass kidnappings that has recently swept across Nigeria. While kidnapping for ransom has long been a criminal enterprise in the country, the scale of these coordinated attacks has intensified concerns over national security. Nigeria contends with multiple overlapping crises, including a jihadist insurgency in the northeast, rampant banditry in the northwest, and persistent communal conflicts over land in central regions.
The tragedy echoes the 2014 abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, an event that shocked the world. A decade later, kidnapping has evolved into a highly organized, lucrative industry. A recent security analysis estimated that ransoms paid over a one-year period totaled millions of dollars, underscoring the financial motives driving these attacks.
The release of these 100 children offers a moment of relief for affected families, but it highlights a persistent and grim reality for communities living under the threat of abduction.