Nigerian officials announced that they have secured the release of 100 of 265 children who were abducted and taken hostage from a Catholic boarding school last month.
The rescued children arrived in the Niger state capital of Minna riding a fleet of minibuses that were escorted by military vans and armored vehicles before being received by Gov. Umar Bago. The details of the kids' release are still unclear, including information about whether or not it was secured through negotiation or by force.
Nigeria Rescues 100 Abducted Children
More than 250 schoolchildren and 12 school staff were kidnapped last month from St. Mary's Catholic school in Papiri, marking the latest of a wave of mass abductions. The rescued students will reportedly be transported to the school to be reunited with their families on Tuesday.
The governor of neighboring Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule, said that the federal government played a key role in securing the release of the 100 children. He added that the behind-the-scenes efforts could not be disclosed for security reasons, according to the BBC.
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National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu visited Papiri last week to meet with a delegation that was led by Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna. He assured them that the kids would soon be rescued and reunited with their families.
Roughly 153 students and 12 staff members are still taken hostage by the unknown gunmen. The case comes as schools and places of worship have increasingly become targets in the latest wave of attacks in north and central Nigeria.
Latest Wave of Mass Abductions
The children who were rescued were aged between 10 and 17, and were seen wearing football jerseys, robes, and slippers. Bago spoke at Government House in Minna, saying that the rescued children would soon be "safely delivered" to their parents in Papiri, Aljazeera reported.
Bago added that health workers and experts would work to "thoroughly examine the rescued schoolchildren before they reunite with their families. The governor told attendees, "To those who have been praying, please continue to pray. We hope to recover the remaining students who are still in captivity."
The situation highlights how Nigeria is facing a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east and armed bandit gangs conducting kidnappings and looting villages in the north-west. Additionally, farmers and herders clash in the nation's center over dwindling land and resources.
One of the first mass kidnappings that drew international attention occurred in 2014, when roughly 300 girls were taken from their boarding school in the town of Chibok. The perpetrators of the act were Boko Haram jihadists, as per The Guardian.
