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Nigerian authorities have secured the release of one hundred abducted schoolchildren captured by attackers from a Catholic school in November, as stated by a source within the UN and local media this past Sunday. Nevertheless, the fate of an additional one hundred and sixty-five students and staff thought to continue being held captive stayed uncertain.

The Incident

In November, 315 people were abducted from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in north-central a Nigerian state, as the country was gripped by a wave of large-scale kidnappings reminiscent of the well-known 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok.

Approximately fifty managed to flee soon after, leaving 265 believed to be still held.

The Release

The a hundred youngsters are set to be released to local government officials this Monday, stated by the UN official.

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

News outlets also confirmed that the liberation of 100 children had been secured, though they lacked details on if it was achieved via dialogue or a security operation, or about the fate of the remaining hostages.

The release of the 100 children was confirmed to the press by a government spokesperson Sunday Dare.

Response

“We've been hoping and praying for their safe arrival, if it is true then it is a cheering event,” said a representative, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the religious authority which runs the institution.

“However, we are without official confirmation and have lacked official communication by the national authorities.”

Broader Context

Though abductions for money are widespread in the country as a way for gangs and militants to make quick cash, in a spate of large-scale kidnappings in November, hundreds were abducted, placing an harsh attention on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.

The nation confronts a long-running Islamist militant uprising in the north-east, while armed bandit gangs carry out abductions and loot communities in the north-west, and conflicts between agricultural and pastoral communities over dwindling farmland continue in the central belt.

Furthermore, militant factions linked to secessionist agendas also operate in the nation's volatile southeastern region.

The Chibok Shadow

One of the first large-scale abductions that attracted worldwide outrage was in 2014, when about 300 female students were snatched from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Ten years on, the country's hostage-taking crisis has “become a organized, profit-seeking enterprise” that collected approximately a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, according to a recent report by a Nigerian research firm.