Release Secured for One Hundred Taken Nigerian Students, however Many Remain Captive

Officials in Nigeria have obtained the freedom of a hundred seized students taken by gunmen from a educational institution last month, according to a source within the UN and Nigerian press this past Sunday. However, the whereabouts of a further 165 students and staff presumed to still be under the control of kidnappers was unclear.

Context

During November, 315 students and staff were taken from St Mary’s mixed residential school in north-central a Nigerian state, as the country faced a series of large-scale kidnappings echoing the infamous 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Some 50 got away soon after, leaving 265 thought to be under kidnappers' control.

The Release

The one hundred students are set to be released to state authorities this Monday, as per the United Nations source.

“They will be released to the government tomorrow,” the source stated to a news agency.

News outlets also stated that the release of the students had been secured, though they lacked information on whether it was achieved via negotiation or military force, and no details on the situation of the still-missing students and staff.

The freeing of the youngsters was announced to AFP by a government spokesperson an official.

Statements

“We have been praying and waiting for their release, if this is confirmed then it is wonderful event,” said a representative, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which manages the institution.

“Yet, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the federal government.”

Broader Context

Although hostage-taking for cash are prevalent in the nation as a way for illegal actors to make quick cash, in a spate of large-scale kidnappings in November, hundreds were taken, casting an uncomfortable spotlight on the country's serious security situation.

The country confronts a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while criminal groups conduct abductions and plunder communities in the north-west, and clashes between agricultural and pastoral communities regarding scarce land and resources occur in the central belt.

Additionally, armed groups associated with secessionist agendas also are active in the nation's unsettled southeastern region.

The Chibok Shadow

A earliest large-scale abductions that garnered international attention was in 2014, when nearly 300 girls were abducted from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

A decade later, the country's kidnap-for-ransom problem has “consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking enterprise” that collected about a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, as per a study by a Nigerian consultancy.