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The country's government have ensured the liberation of a hundred abducted schoolchildren taken by attackers from a religious school last month, according to a source within the UN and local media this past Sunday. Yet, the whereabouts of an additional 165 students and staff presumed to still be in captivity stayed unclear.

Background

In November, three hundred and fifteen students and staff were abducted from a co-educational residential school in north-central Niger state, as the country was gripped by a series of large-scale kidnappings echoing the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Around 50 managed to flee in the immediate aftermath, resulting in 265 presumed still held.

Freedom for Some

The 100 youngsters are scheduled to be transferred to Niger state officials on Monday, stated by the UN official.

“They will be transferred to the government on Monday,” the official stated to a news agency.

News outlets also confirmed that the release of 100 children had been obtained, without offering specifics on whether it was the result of negotiation or a security operation, nor on the fate of the still-missing individuals.

The liberation of the students was verified to the press by a government spokesperson an official.

Response

“We've been hoping and praying for their safe arrival, if this is confirmed then it is a cheering development,” said a representative, representing Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which manages the school.

“However, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the federal government.”

Broader Context

While abductions for money are widespread in the country as a method for criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, in a spate of mass abductions in November, scores of individuals were abducted, placing an harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.

The nation is grappling with a long-running Islamist militant uprising in the north-east, while criminal groups carry out kidnappings and loot villages in the north-west, and clashes between farmers and herders regarding dwindling resources continue in the country’s centre.

Furthermore, militant factions linked to separatist movements also operate in the country’s volatile southeastern region.

A Dark Legacy

A most prominent large-scale abductions that garnered international attention was in 2014, when nearly 300 schoolgirls were taken from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

A decade later, the country's hostage-taking issue has “become a systematic, profit-seeking business” that raised around a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, according to a recent report by a Lagos-based consultancy.