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Nigerian authorities have secured the release of a hundred seized schoolchildren seized by attackers from a religious school the previous month, as stated by a UN source and regional news outlets this past Sunday. Yet, the situation of a further 165 students and staff thought to remain under the control of kidnappers was uncertain.

Background

Last month, 315 individuals were kidnapped from St Mary’s mixed boarding school in north-central a Nigerian state, as the nation faced a surge of group seizures echoing the well-known 2014 Boko Haram abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok.

Around 50 escaped shortly afterward, resulting in two hundred and sixty-five believed to be in captivity.

The Handover

The 100 students are set to be transferred to Niger state officials this Monday, stated by the UN official.

“They are going to be released to state authorities on Monday,” the individual stated to a news agency.

Regional reports also stated that the release of 100 children had been achieved, though they lacked specifics on if it was done through talks or a security operation, or about the fate of the remaining hostages.

The freeing of the youngsters was verified to AFP by a government spokesperson an official.

Statements

“We have been anxiously awaiting for their return, if it is true then it is wonderful event,” said a representative, speaking for the local diocese of the Kontagora diocese which operates the institution.

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

Security Situation

Though hostage-taking for cash are widespread in the nation as a means for illegal actors to make quick cash, in a series of large-scale kidnappings in November, hundreds were taken, placing an harsh focus on Nigeria’s serious state of safety.

The nation faces a protracted jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while armed bandit gangs conduct abductions and plunder communities in the north-west, and disputes between agricultural and pastoral communities regarding dwindling farmland occur in the central belt.

Furthermore, militant factions linked to secessionist agendas also haunt the country’s volatile south-east.

A Dark Legacy

Among the first large-scale abductions that drew global concern was in 2014, when almost three hundred girls were abducted from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

A decade later, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom issue has “become a systematic, revenue-generating industry” that raised about $1.66 million dollars (£1.24m) between a recent twelve-month period, according to a analysis by a Nigerian research firm.