One hundred students from the St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school, abducted by militants at the end of November, have been released and will be handed over to the authorities of Niger state, an AFP source at the UN reported, according to DW.
Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 out of 303 students from the St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school, who were kidnapped by militants at the end of November. This was reported on Sunday, December 7, independently by the local television channel Channels Television and the AFP agency. The latter cited an unnamed source at the UN and an official spokesperson for the Nigerian president.
According to the AFP source, 100 children arrived in Nigeria's capital Abuja. They are expected to be handed over to representatives of the Niger state authorities on December 8. It remains unclear from the reports whether the girls were freed from the militants by force or through negotiations.
"We prayed and waited for their return. If this is true, then it is joyful news," said Daniel Atori, spokesperson for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora Diocese, which oversees the school. "However, we do not have official information, and we have not received any notification from the federal government," he added.
Kidnapping of schoolgirls and staff by militants in Nigeria
On November 22, the Christian Association of Nigeria reported the abduction of 303 students and 12 teachers from the St. Mary’s boarding school located in the settlement of Papiri in Niger state. It later became known that 50 of the captives managed to escape from the militants. At the time of publication, the fate of 265 individuals - students and school staff - remained unknown.
Kidnappings in Nigeria
In Nigeria, armed gangs have been kidnapping people in rural areas of the northwest and central parts of the country for ransom for years. Thousands of people have died as a result of such attacks. The bandits hide in the vast forested areas covering several states.
One of the most high-profile cases occurred in April 2014 when militants from the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 students from a school in the town of Chibok. Subsequently, many managed to escape from the terrorists or were freed as a result of negotiations. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, as of 2024, 82 of the abducted girls are still listed as missing.
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