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The country's government have secured the release of 100 abducted students seized by gunmen from a educational institution the previous month, according to a United Nations official and Nigerian press on Sunday. Nevertheless, the fate of another 165 hostages believed to continue being held captive was unclear.

The Incident

During November, three hundred and fifteen people were kidnapped from St Mary’s mixed boarding school in north-central Niger state, as the nation faced a series of group seizures reminiscent of the notorious 2014 jihadist group kidnapping of female students in a town in north-east Nigeria.

Around 50 managed to flee in the immediate aftermath, leaving 265 thought to be still held.

The Release

The one hundred youngsters are scheduled to be released to Niger state officials on Monday, as per the United Nations source.

“They are scheduled to be released to state authorities tomorrow,” the official told AFP.

News outlets also reported that the liberation of the students had been obtained, without offering details on if it was achieved via negotiation or a security operation, nor on the situation of the still-missing hostages.

The freeing of the 100 children was confirmed to the press by an official representative an official.

Response

“For a long time we were praying and waiting for their return, if this is confirmed then it is positive event,” said a spokesman, speaking for the local diocese of the Kontagora diocese which runs the school.

“However, we are not officially aware and have not received proper notification by the national authorities.”

Security Situation

While kidnappings for ransom are prevalent in the country as a method for gangs and militants to make quick cash, in a wave of large-scale kidnappings in last month, scores of individuals were seized, putting an harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s already grim security situation.

The nation confronts a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east, while criminal groups conduct abductions and plunder communities in the northwestern region, and conflicts between agricultural and pastoral communities over scarce land and resources persist in the country’s centre.

Additionally, armed groups connected to separatist movements also are active in the country’s unsettled south-east.

A Dark Legacy

A first mass kidnappings that garnered worldwide outrage was in 2014, when about 300 schoolgirls were abducted from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

A decade later, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom issue has “evolved into a structured, profit-seeking business” that raised around $$1.66m (£1.24m) between July 2024 and June 2025, as per a analysis by a Nigerian research firm.