Freedom Achieved for One Hundred Abducted Nigerian Pupils, but Many Remain Captive

Officials in Nigeria have ensured the liberation of a hundred kidnapped pupils taken by armed men from a religious school the previous month, per reports from a source within the UN and regional news outlets on Sunday. However, the fate of an additional one hundred and sixty-five hostages thought to continue being held captive stayed unclear.

The Incident

In November, 315 individuals were kidnapped from St Mary’s co-educational residential school in central a Nigerian state, as the country was gripped by a surge of group seizures reminiscent of the notorious 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Around fifty got away shortly afterward, leaving two hundred and sixty-five presumed in captivity.

The Handover

The 100 youngsters are set to be handed over to state authorities on Monday, stated by the United Nations source.

“They will be handed over to the government on Monday,” the source told AFP.

News outlets also reported that the freeing of the students had been achieved, without offering details on whether it was achieved via talks or armed intervention, and no details on the whereabouts of the remaining hostages.

The freeing of the students was verified to the press by a government spokesperson Sunday Dare.

Reaction

“We've been hoping and praying for their return, should this be accurate then it is positive development,” said a spokesman, spokesman for the local diocese of the religious authority which runs the institution.

“However, we are not officially aware and have lacked official communication by the government.”

Security Situation

Though abductions for money are widespread in the nation as a means for criminals and armed groups to generate revenue, in a series of large-scale kidnappings in November, scores of individuals were abducted, placing an uncomfortable spotlight on the country's serious state of safety.

The nation faces a years-long Islamist militant uprising in the northeastern region, while criminal groups conduct kidnappings and raid communities in the north-west, and clashes between agricultural and pastoral communities concerning dwindling resources occur in the country’s centre.

Additionally, armed groups linked to secessionist agendas also operate in the nation's restive southeastern region.

The Chibok Shadow

Among the earliest mass kidnappings that garnered international attention was in 2014, when almost 300 girls were abducted from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Ten years on, the country's kidnap-for-ransom crisis has “become a systematic, revenue-generating business” that generated about $1.66 million dollars (£1.24m) between last year, as per a recent report by a Lagos-based research firm.