Release Achieved for One Hundred Abducted Nigerian Students, however Many Are Still in Captivity
Officials in Nigeria have obtained the freedom of a hundred seized schoolchildren captured by attackers from a Catholic school last month, as stated by a source within the UN and regional news outlets on Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of a further 165 individuals presumed to still be in captivity stayed unknown.
Background
In November, three hundred and fifteen individuals were abducted from a mixed residential school in north-central Niger state, as the country was gripped by a wave of mass abductions similar to the well-known 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok.
Approximately 50 got away in the immediate aftermath, leaving two hundred and sixty-five thought to be in captivity.
Freedom for Some
The a hundred youngsters are due to be handed over to state authorities this Monday, as per the United Nations source.
“They are scheduled to be released to state authorities tomorrow,” the official stated to a news agency.
Regional reports also confirmed that the liberation of 100 children had been secured, without offering specifics on if it was the result of dialogue or military force, nor on the fate of the remaining hostages.
The liberation of the 100 children was confirmed to the press by an official representative an official.
Statements
“For a long time we were anxiously awaiting for their safe arrival, if this is confirmed then it is positive news,” said Daniel Atori, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which operates the institution.
“Nevertheless, we are not formally informed and have not been duly notified by the federal government.”
Security Situation
Although hostage-taking for cash are prevalent in the country as a means for criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, in a series of mass abductions in November, scores of individuals were taken, putting an critical attention on Nigeria’s serious state of safety.
The nation faces a years-long Islamist militant uprising in the north-east, while marauding gangs conduct kidnappings and raid communities in the north-west, and disputes between agricultural and pastoral communities regarding dwindling land and resources continue in the country’s centre.
Additionally, militant factions associated with separatist movements also operate in the nation's unsettled southeastern region.
Historical Precedent
One of the first mass kidnappings that drew international attention was in 2014, when about 300 female students were abducted from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by insurgents.
A decade later, the country's kidnap-for-ransom issue has “become a systematic, profit-seeking enterprise” that raised about a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, according to a recent report by a Nigerian consultancy.