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Nigerian authorities have ensured the liberation of a hundred kidnapped pupils taken by armed men from a religious school last month, according to a UN source and regional news outlets on Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of a further one hundred and sixty-five students and staff presumed to remain held captive was uncertain.

The Incident

In November, three hundred and fifteen people were abducted from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in north-central Niger state, as the nation buckled under a wave of mass abductions reminiscent of the notorious 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of schoolgirls in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Approximately 50 escaped soon after, leaving two hundred and sixty-five thought to be still held.

The Release

The a hundred youngsters are scheduled to be handed over to state authorities on Monday, as per the UN official.

“They are going to be transferred to state authorities tomorrow,” the individual informed a news agency.

News outlets also stated that the freeing of 100 children had been obtained, without offering details on if it was done through dialogue or armed intervention, nor on the situation of the other students and staff.

The liberation of the 100 children was verified to AFP by a government spokesperson Sunday Dare.

Response

“We've been hoping and praying for their release, should this be accurate then it is a cheering development,” said a representative, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which manages the school.

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

Wider Crisis

While abductions for money are prevalent in the country as a way for criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, in a spate of mass abductions in last month, many people were abducted, placing an harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s serious law and order crisis.

The nation confronts a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while marauding gangs conduct abductions and raid communities in the northwestern region, and disputes between agricultural and pastoral communities concerning scarce resources continue in the middle belt.

Furthermore, armed groups linked to secessionist agendas also haunt the nation's unsettled southeastern region.

Historical Precedent

Among the most prominent large-scale abductions that attracted international attention was in 2014, when about three hundred girls were snatched from their school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Now, Nigeria’s hostage-taking crisis has “evolved into a organized, profit-seeking business” that collected around $1.66 million dollars (£1.24m) between a recent twelve-month period, according to a study by a Lagos-based consultancy.