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Nigerian authorities have obtained the freedom of 100 seized pupils captured by gunmen from a religious school last month, per reports from a source within the UN and Nigerian press on Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of an additional 165 individuals thought to still be under the control of kidnappers was unknown.

The Incident

During November, three hundred and fifteen people were taken from St Mary’s mixed residential school in north-central Niger state, as the country buckled under a surge of large-scale kidnappings similar to the notorious 2014 jihadist group abduction of female students in Chibok.

Approximately 50 got away soon after, resulting in 265 thought to be in captivity.

The Release

The one hundred students are due to be released to local government officials this Monday, as per the source.

“They are going to be handed over to state authorities tomorrow,” the individual told a news agency.

Regional reports also stated that the release of the hostages had been obtained, but did not provide information on whether it was the result of talks or armed intervention, nor on the situation of the other students and staff.

The liberation of the 100 children was announced to the press by a government spokesperson Sunday Dare.

Statements

“We've been anxiously awaiting for their release, if this is confirmed then it is positive development,” said a spokesman, speaking for the local diocese of the religious authority which manages the school.

“Nevertheless, we are without official confirmation and have lacked official communication by the federal government.”

Broader Context

Though hostage-taking for cash are widespread in the country as a method for criminals and armed groups to generate revenue, in a spate of large-scale kidnappings in last month, scores of individuals were seized, casting an uncomfortable spotlight on Nigeria’s already grim law and order crisis.

The country is grappling with a years-long jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while marauding gangs carry out abductions and plunder communities in the northwestern region, and conflicts between agricultural and pastoral communities over dwindling resources continue in the central belt.

Furthermore, armed groups associated with secessionist agendas also are active in the country’s unsettled south-east.

Historical Precedent

Among the earliest large-scale abductions that garnered international attention was in 2014, when about 300 girls were abducted from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

A decade later, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom issue has “become a systematic, revenue-generating enterprise” that raised around a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, as per a recent report by a Nigerian consultancy.