Liberation Secured for One Hundred Abducted Nigerian Students, but A Large Number Are Still in Captivity
Nigerian authorities have obtained the freedom of one hundred seized students taken by attackers from a Catholic school the previous month, as stated by a UN source and regional news outlets this past Sunday. Yet, the whereabouts of another 165 hostages believed to continue being under the control of kidnappers remained unknown.
The Incident
During November, 315 students and staff were abducted from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in central Niger state, as the nation buckled under a series of mass abductions similar to the well-known 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.
Approximately 50 managed to flee shortly afterward, leaving two hundred and sixty-five presumed under kidnappers' control.
The Release
The 100 youngsters are scheduled to be released to local government officials this Monday, according to the United Nations source.
“They are going to be transferred to state authorities tomorrow,” the source stated to a news agency.
News outlets also stated that the release of the hostages had been achieved, though they lacked specifics on if it was the result of negotiation or a security operation, and no details on the whereabouts of the other individuals.
The liberation of the 100 children was announced to AFP by an official representative an official.
Statements
“We have been anxiously awaiting for their safe arrival, if this is confirmed then it is a cheering news,” said Daniel Atori, representing Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the religious authority which runs the school.
“Nevertheless, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the national authorities.”
Broader Context
While abductions for money are common in the nation as a means for criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, in a wave of large-scale kidnappings in November, hundreds were abducted, casting an uncomfortable spotlight on the country's serious security situation.
The nation is grappling with a years-long Islamist militant uprising in the northeastern region, while armed bandit gangs perpetrate abductions and plunder communities in the north-west, and conflicts between farmers and herders concerning scarce farmland persist in the central belt.
Furthermore, armed groups connected to separatist movements also operate in the country’s restive south-east.
A Dark Legacy
A first large-scale abductions that drew international attention was in 2014, when nearly three hundred schoolgirls were snatched from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.
A decade later, the country's hostage-taking issue has “become a systematic, profit-seeking enterprise” that raised approximately $1.66 million dollars (£1.24m) between last year, according to a analysis by a Lagos-based research firm.
