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Officials in Nigeria have secured the release of 100 abducted schoolchildren seized by attackers from a religious school in November, according to a United Nations official and local media on Sunday. Nevertheless, the fate of another 165 students and staff presumed to still be under the control of kidnappers remained unclear.

Context

In November, 315 people were taken from a mixed boarding school in north-central a Nigerian state, as the country faced a wave of large-scale kidnappings reminiscent of the well-known 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Some fifty managed to flee in the immediate aftermath, resulting in two hundred and sixty-five thought to be in captivity.

Freedom for Some

The a hundred students are scheduled to be handed over to local government officials this Monday, according to the UN official.

“They are scheduled to be handed over to the government tomorrow,” the individual told a news agency.

News outlets also stated that the freeing of the hostages had been secured, but did not provide specifics on whether it was achieved via negotiation or military force, nor on the whereabouts of the still-missing hostages.

The liberation of the youngsters was confirmed to AFP by presidential spokesman an official.

Reaction

“For a long time we were praying and waiting for their release, should this be accurate then it is positive development,” said a representative, speaking for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the religious authority which runs the school.

“However, we are not formally informed and have lacked official communication by the federal government.”

Broader Context

Although hostage-taking for cash are prevalent in the country as a means for gangs and militants to generate revenue, in a series of mass abductions in November, hundreds were taken, placing an critical attention on Nigeria’s already grim security situation.

The country confronts a protracted jihadist insurgency in the northeastern region, while criminal groups conduct abductions and loot communities in the north-west, and disputes between farmers and herders concerning diminishing farmland continue in the middle belt.

Additionally, armed groups linked to secessionist agendas also haunt the nation's restive south-east.

A Dark Legacy

A first large-scale abductions that attracted global concern was in 2014, when almost 300 female students were abducted from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the militant group.

Ten years on, Nigeria’s hostage-taking problem has “become a systematic, profit-seeking industry” that generated around $1.66 million dollars (£1.24m) between July 2024 and June 2025, stated in a recent report by a Lagos-based consultancy.