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Nigerian authorities have secured the release of one hundred kidnapped schoolchildren seized by gunmen from a educational institution the previous month, per reports from a UN source and local media this past Sunday. Yet, the situation of a further one hundred and sixty-five hostages presumed to remain held captive remained uncertain.

Context

Last month, three hundred and fifteen people were kidnapped from St Mary’s mixed boarding school in central a Nigerian state, as the country faced a surge of mass abductions reminiscent of the infamous 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of schoolgirls in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Some 50 escaped shortly afterward, which left two hundred and sixty-five believed to be under kidnappers' control.

The Release

The one hundred youngsters are due to be released to Niger state officials this Monday, stated by the source.

“They will be transferred to Niger state government on Monday,” the individual informed AFP.

Regional reports also reported that the release of the hostages had been achieved, without offering details on whether it was done through negotiation or military force, nor on the situation of the other students and staff.

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

Statements

“We've been hoping and praying for their safe arrival, if this is confirmed then it is a cheering development,” said a spokesman, spokesman for the local diocese of the religious authority which operates the institution.

“Yet, we are without official confirmation and have not been duly notified by the national authorities.”

Security Situation

While kidnappings for ransom are common in the nation as a means for gangs and militants to make quick cash, in a series of mass abductions in November, hundreds were abducted, placing an critical spotlight on the country's serious security situation.

The nation is grappling with a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while criminal groups carry out kidnappings and loot communities in the northwestern region, and disputes between agricultural and pastoral communities regarding dwindling resources continue in the middle belt.

Additionally, armed groups linked to secessionist agendas also operate in the nation's unsettled southeastern region.

A Dark Legacy

Among the most prominent mass kidnappings that attracted worldwide outrage was in 2014, when nearly three hundred girls were taken from their boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by insurgents.

Now, Nigeria’s hostage-taking problem has “consolidated into a structured, revenue-generating industry” that raised about $$1.66m (£1.24m) between a recent twelve-month period, as per a recent report by a Nigerian research firm.