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The country's government have obtained the freedom of 100 abducted pupils taken by armed men from a Catholic school in November, as stated by a source within the UN and Nigerian press this past Sunday. Nevertheless, the fate of an additional 165 individuals thought to still be in captivity stayed uncertain.

Background

In November, three hundred and fifteen individuals were kidnapped from St Mary’s mixed residential school in north-central Niger state, as the nation buckled under a series of group seizures reminiscent of the notorious 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of female students in Chibok.

Some fifty escaped soon after, leaving 265 thought to be under kidnappers' control.

Freedom for Some

The a hundred youngsters are set to be handed over to state authorities this Monday, stated by the United Nations source.

“They will be released to the government on Monday,” the official told AFP.

Regional reports also stated that the release of the students had been achieved, without offering specifics on if it was done through talks or a security operation, nor on the whereabouts of the remaining individuals.

The freeing of the students was announced to AFP by an official representative an official.

Statements

“We have been praying and waiting for their safe arrival, should this be accurate then it is wonderful event,” said Daniel Atori, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which operates the institution.

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

Wider Crisis

While abductions for money are widespread in the nation as a method for gangs and militants to generate revenue, in a wave of large-scale kidnappings in November, hundreds were abducted, casting an uncomfortable spotlight on the country's already grim law and order crisis.

The nation faces a years-long Islamist militant uprising in the northeastern region, while marauding gangs conduct kidnappings and plunder villages in the north-west, and clashes between farmers and herders regarding diminishing resources occur in the middle belt.

Furthermore, armed groups linked to separatist movements also haunt the nation's restive south-east.

The Chibok Shadow

One of the first mass kidnappings that drew global concern was in 2014, when nearly 300 girls were abducted from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Ten years on, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom problem has “evolved into a structured, profit-seeking business” that collected around a significant sum between last year, according to a recent report by a Lagos-based research firm.