Freedom Obtained for A Hundred Taken Nigerian Students, but Numerous Are Still Held
Nigerian authorities have ensured the liberation of one hundred kidnapped students taken by gunmen from a religious school last month, per reports from a United Nations official and local media on Sunday. However, the situation of an additional 165 students and staff thought to remain held captive remained uncertain.
Background
Last month, three hundred and fifteen people were kidnapped from a co-educational residential school in north-central a Nigerian state, as the nation faced a surge of mass abductions reminiscent of the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of schoolgirls in a town in north-east Nigeria.
Around fifty escaped soon after, leaving two hundred and sixty-five believed to be in captivity.
The Handover
The 100 children are scheduled to be handed over to state authorities this Monday, as per the United Nations source.
“They are scheduled to be transferred to state authorities tomorrow,” the individual informed a news agency.
News outlets also confirmed that the liberation of the hostages had been obtained, without offering information on if it was done through talks or armed intervention, nor on the whereabouts of the still-missing individuals.
The freeing of the students was verified to AFP by presidential spokesman Sunday Dare.
Reaction
“We have been praying and waiting for their release, if it is true then it is wonderful news,” said a spokesman, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the religious authority which manages the school.
“Nevertheless, we are without official confirmation and have not received proper notification by the federal government.”
Broader Context
While kidnappings for ransom are prevalent in the nation as a way for criminals and armed groups to generate revenue, in a series of large-scale kidnappings in last month, scores of individuals were abducted, placing an critical spotlight on Nigeria’s serious law and order crisis.
The nation faces a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while armed bandit gangs conduct abductions and plunder villages in the northwestern region, and conflicts between agricultural and pastoral communities over dwindling land and resources continue in the central belt.
On a smaller scale, militant factions associated with secessionist agendas also operate in the country’s restive south-east.
The Chibok Shadow
One of the earliest large-scale abductions that drew worldwide outrage was in 2014, when almost 300 female students were snatched from their school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by insurgents.
A decade later, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis has “become a organized, profit-seeking business” that raised about $$1.66m (£1.24m) between July 2024 and June 2025, according to a analysis by a Lagos-based consultancy.
