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Officials in Nigeria have ensured the liberation of one hundred seized students captured by gunmen from a religious school in November, according to a United Nations official and local media on Sunday. However, the whereabouts of an additional one hundred and sixty-five individuals thought to still be in captivity remained unknown.

Background

During November, 315 students and staff were kidnapped from a mixed boarding school in central Niger state, as the country buckled under a series of mass abductions echoing the infamous 2014 jihadist group abduction of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Approximately 50 escaped in the immediate aftermath, which left 265 believed to be still held.

The Release

The one hundred students are scheduled to be transferred to Niger state officials on Monday, according to the United Nations source.

“They are scheduled to be transferred to state authorities tomorrow,” the source told a news agency.

Regional reports also confirmed that the release of 100 children had been secured, though they lacked information on whether it was achieved via dialogue or military force, nor on the situation of the still-missing individuals.

The release of the youngsters was verified to the press by a government spokesperson Sunday Dare.

Statements

“We've been anxiously awaiting for their release, if this is confirmed then it is wonderful news,” said a spokesman, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese which runs the institution.

“Yet, we are not officially aware and have lacked official communication by the federal government.”

Wider Crisis

Although abductions for money are widespread in the country as a method for gangs and militants to generate revenue, in a wave of mass abductions in November, hundreds were seized, casting an uncomfortable spotlight on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.

The country faces a protracted jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while marauding gangs conduct abductions and loot communities in the northwestern region, and clashes between farmers and herders regarding scarce resources continue in the central belt.

Furthermore, militant factions associated with secessionist agendas also operate in the country’s restive south-east.

Historical Precedent

Among the most prominent mass kidnappings that attracted worldwide outrage was in 2014, when about 300 schoolgirls were taken from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

A decade later, the country's hostage-taking issue has “evolved into a systematic, profit-seeking business” that raised around $$1.66m (£1.24m) between last year, according to a recent report by a Nigerian consultancy.