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Nigerian authorities have obtained the freedom of one hundred seized pupils captured by attackers from a educational institution in November, according to a United Nations official and local media on Sunday. Yet, the whereabouts of an additional 165 students and staff thought to continue being held captive remained unclear.

Background

Last month, three hundred and fifteen people were taken from a mixed boarding school in north-central Niger state, as the nation faced a surge of group seizures reminiscent of the notorious 2014 jihadist group abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok.

Some 50 got away shortly afterward, resulting in 265 thought to be in captivity.

Freedom for Some

The one hundred children are set to be transferred to state authorities on Monday, as per the UN official.

“They are scheduled to be released to Niger state government on Monday,” the source told AFP.

Regional reports also stated that the freeing of 100 children had been secured, but did not provide information on whether it was achieved via talks or military force, and no details on the fate of the other students and staff.

The freeing of the youngsters was confirmed to the press by an official representative an official.

Reaction

“For a long time we were hoping and praying for their release, if this is confirmed then it is a cheering news,” said a representative, spokesman for the local diocese of the religious authority which operates the school.

“Nevertheless, we are not formally informed and have lacked official communication by the national authorities.”

Security Situation

Although kidnappings for ransom are common in the country as a method for criminals and armed groups to fund their activities, in a series of large-scale kidnappings in last month, scores of individuals were seized, putting an uncomfortable focus on the country's serious state of safety.

The country is grappling with a protracted jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while armed bandit gangs perpetrate kidnappings and plunder communities in the north-west, and disputes between farmers and herders regarding dwindling land and resources continue in the central belt.

Additionally, militant factions linked to secessionist agendas also haunt the nation's restive southeastern region.

The Chibok Shadow

Among the first large-scale abductions that garnered worldwide outrage was in 2014, when about three hundred female students were taken from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Ten years on, the country's hostage-taking issue has “become a organized, profit-seeking enterprise” that generated about $1.66 million dollars (£1.24m) between last year, as per a recent report by a Lagos-based consultancy.