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The country's government have obtained the freedom of one hundred abducted pupils seized by gunmen from a Catholic school in November, per reports from a source within the UN and local media this past Sunday. However, the situation of a further 165 students and staff thought to remain in captivity stayed unknown.

Background

Last month, three hundred and fifteen students and staff were abducted from a co-educational boarding school in central a Nigerian state, as the nation faced a series of mass abductions similar to the well-known 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of female students in Chibok.

Some fifty got away soon after, resulting in 265 thought to be under kidnappers' control.

Freedom for Some

The 100 students are scheduled to be transferred to Niger state officials on Monday, stated by the United Nations source.

“They are going to be released to Niger state government on Monday,” the source informed AFP.

News outlets also stated that the freeing of 100 children had been achieved, without offering information on whether it was done through negotiation or a security operation, and no details on the fate of the other individuals.

The liberation of the students was verified to AFP by presidential spokesman an official.

Reaction

“We have been hoping and praying for their safe arrival, if it is true then it is wonderful development,” said a representative, speaking for the local diocese of the religious authority which operates the institution.

“Nevertheless, we are not formally informed and have not been duly notified by the national authorities.”

Broader Context

While kidnappings for ransom are common in the country as a way for illegal actors to make quick cash, in a spate of mass abductions in November, hundreds were taken, putting an critical spotlight on Nigeria’s deteriorating state of safety.

The nation faces a years-long jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while criminal groups perpetrate kidnappings and plunder communities in the north-west, and conflicts between agricultural and pastoral communities concerning dwindling resources occur in the central belt.

On a smaller scale, militant factions associated with separatist movements also operate in the country’s unsettled southeastern region.

Historical Precedent

Among the most prominent mass kidnappings that drew worldwide outrage was in 2014, when nearly 300 girls were abducted from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

Now, Nigeria’s hostage-taking problem has “become a structured, profit-seeking business” that generated about $$1.66m (£1.24m) between a recent twelve-month period, stated in a analysis by a Lagos-based research firm.