The last 130 students taken from a school in central Nigeria last month have been released, bringing an end to a mass abduction that captured international attention. Authorities expect the children to be reunited with their families imminently.
The incident began in November when armed assailants seized hundreds of pupils and teachers from a Catholic school in Niger state. While dozens managed to escape shortly after the kidnapping, and another large group was freed earlier this month, this final release concludes the immediate crisis for the affected families.
Official statements confirmed the release but provided no details on the circumstances leading to the students’ freedom, the identity of the captors, or whether any ransom was paid. The children were reportedly recovered near the border with Benin.
This event underscores a persistent and severe security challenge in parts of Nigeria, where criminal gangs and militant groups frequently target civilians. Kidnapping for ransom has become a widespread threat, particularly in northern and central regions, overwhelming local security forces and devastating rural communities.
The abduction is among the latest in a series of similar attacks. Just days prior, a separate mass kidnapping occurred elsewhere in the country. Such incidents have become tragically common, with one of the most notorious being the 2014 abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, which ignited a global outcry.
Recent data indicates the scale of the problem, with thousands of kidnappings reported across Nigeria in a single year, resulting in significant casualties and millions of dollars in ransom payments.
The deteriorating security landscape has drawn sharp criticism from abroad, including threats of potential international intervention from some foreign governments. Nigerian authorities, however, have consistently argued that such external characterizations oversimplify the nation’s complex internal conflicts.