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Nigerian authorities have ensured the liberation of one hundred abducted students taken by gunmen from a Catholic school last month, per reports from a UN source and regional news outlets on Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of a further one hundred and sixty-five individuals presumed to continue being in captivity remained unclear.

Context

In November, three hundred and fifteen individuals were taken from a mixed residential school in central Niger state, as the country faced a wave of mass abductions reminiscent of the notorious 2014 Boko Haram abduction of female students in Chibok.

Approximately 50 managed to flee shortly afterward, resulting in 265 believed to be in captivity.

The Handover

The 100 children are scheduled to be transferred to state authorities this Monday, as per the UN official.

“They are going to be handed over to the government on Monday,” the source stated to a news agency.

Local media also reported that the freeing of the hostages had been obtained, though they lacked specifics on whether it was done through dialogue or military force, or about the whereabouts of the other individuals.

The release of the students was confirmed to the press by presidential spokesman Sunday Dare.

Statements

“We have been anxiously awaiting for their release, if this is confirmed then it is a cheering event,” said a spokesman, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which runs the school.

“Nevertheless, we are not formally informed and have not been duly notified by the national authorities.”

Security Situation

Although abductions for money are prevalent in the country as a way for gangs and militants to generate revenue, in a wave of large-scale kidnappings in November, many people were seized, placing an critical focus on Nigeria’s serious security situation.

The country faces a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while armed bandit gangs carry out kidnappings and loot communities in the north-west, and conflicts between farmers and herders concerning diminishing resources continue in the country’s centre.

Furthermore, armed groups connected to separatist movements also operate in the country’s volatile south-east.

Historical Precedent

Among the most prominent mass kidnappings that garnered worldwide outrage was in 2014, when almost 300 female students were taken from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by insurgents.

Now, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis has “evolved into a organized, revenue-generating enterprise” that raised approximately $$1.66m (£1.24m) between last year, as per a study by a Lagos-based consultancy.