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Officials in Nigeria have secured the release of a hundred seized pupils captured by gunmen from a educational institution the previous month, as stated by a source within the UN and Nigerian press this past Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of a further 165 hostages believed to continue being in captivity remained unknown.

Background

In November, three hundred and fifteen individuals were taken from a co-educational boarding school in central Niger state, as the nation buckled under a wave of large-scale kidnappings similar to the well-known 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok.

Some fifty managed to flee soon after, which left two hundred and sixty-five presumed in captivity.

Freedom for Some

The a hundred students are due to be released to local government officials this Monday, as per the UN official.

“They will be transferred to state authorities tomorrow,” the individual told a news agency.

News outlets also reported that the liberation of the hostages had been secured, without offering details on whether it was achieved via dialogue or a security operation, and no details on the situation of the remaining hostages.

The freeing of the 100 children was announced to AFP by presidential spokesman an official.

Reaction

“We've been praying and waiting for their return, if this is confirmed then it is a cheering development,” said Daniel Atori, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which runs the institution.

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

Wider Crisis

Though kidnappings for ransom are prevalent in the country as a method for criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, in a wave of mass abductions in November, many people were seized, placing an harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.

The nation is grappling with a long-running Islamist militant uprising in the northeastern region, while criminal groups conduct abductions and loot villages in the northwestern region, and conflicts between farmers and herders concerning dwindling resources persist in the middle belt.

On a smaller scale, armed groups associated with separatist movements also are active in the nation's restive southeastern region.

Historical Precedent

One of the most prominent large-scale abductions that drew worldwide outrage was in 2014, when about 300 girls were taken from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Now, the country's kidnap-for-ransom crisis has “consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking business” that raised approximately a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, as per a analysis by a Nigerian consultancy.