🔗 Share this article Freedom Achieved for 100 Abducted Nigerian Students, but Many Continue to Be Captive The country's government have obtained the freedom of 100 abducted pupils seized by gunmen from a Catholic school in November, per reports from a United Nations official and local media on Sunday. Nevertheless, the situation of a further one hundred and sixty-five individuals presumed to continue being under the control of kidnappers was uncertain. Context During November, 315 individuals were taken from St Mary’s mixed boarding school in central Niger state, as the nation faced a series of group seizures reminiscent of the infamous 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok. Approximately fifty escaped soon after, resulting in two hundred and sixty-five believed to be still held. The Handover The a hundred students are scheduled to be transferred to state authorities on Monday, according to the United Nations source. “They are going to be released to state authorities on Monday,” the official informed a news agency. Local media also confirmed that the release of the hostages had been obtained, without offering details on if it was done through negotiation or military force, and no details on the situation of the remaining hostages. The liberation of the 100 children was verified to the press by presidential spokesman Sunday Dare. Statements “We have been anxiously awaiting for their safe arrival, should this be accurate then it is positive development,” said Daniel Atori, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the religious authority which manages the institution. “However, we are without official confirmation and have not received proper notification by the government.” Security Situation Although hostage-taking for cash are prevalent in the nation as a way for gangs and militants to generate revenue, in a series of large-scale kidnappings in last month, many people were seized, placing an critical spotlight on Nigeria’s deteriorating state of safety. The nation faces a protracted jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while criminal groups perpetrate abductions and raid communities in the northwestern region, and disputes between farmers and herders concerning dwindling resources persist in the middle belt. On a smaller scale, militant factions associated with separatist movements also operate in the country’s unsettled south-east. Historical Precedent Among the most prominent mass kidnappings that garnered global concern was in 2014, when nearly three hundred female students were snatched from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the militant group. A decade later, the country's hostage-taking problem has “evolved into a structured, profit-seeking business” that collected about a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, stated in a analysis by a Nigerian consultancy.