🔗 Share this article Freedom Achieved for One Hundred Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolchildren, but A Large Number Continue to Be in Captivity Nigerian authorities have obtained the freedom of 100 abducted schoolchildren seized by attackers from a educational institution in November, as stated by a United Nations official and Nigerian press on Sunday. Yet, the situation of a further one hundred and sixty-five students and staff presumed to still be under the control of kidnappers remained uncertain. The Incident Last month, three hundred and fifteen students and staff were abducted from a co-educational residential school in central Niger state, as the country faced a series of large-scale kidnappings echoing the infamous 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of schoolgirls in a town in north-east Nigeria. Approximately 50 managed to flee shortly afterward, which left 265 thought to be under kidnappers' control. Freedom for Some The a hundred youngsters are scheduled to be transferred to Niger state officials this Monday, as per the UN official. “They are scheduled to be handed over to the government on Monday,” the source informed AFP. Regional reports also stated that the liberation of the hostages had been secured, without offering information on if it was achieved via dialogue or military force, nor on the fate of the remaining students and staff. The liberation of the 100 children was announced to the press by an official representative Sunday Dare. Response “We have been anxiously awaiting for their safe arrival, if this is confirmed then it is positive event,” said a representative, spokesman for the local diocese of the religious authority which runs the school. “Nevertheless, we are not officially aware and have lacked official communication by the government.” Broader Context Though hostage-taking for cash are prevalent in the nation as a means for criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, in a spate of large-scale kidnappings in November, scores of individuals were seized, putting an critical spotlight on the country's serious state of safety. The nation confronts a protracted Islamist militant uprising in the northeastern region, while criminal groups carry out kidnappings and loot communities in the northwestern region, and disputes between agricultural and pastoral communities concerning diminishing resources occur in the central belt. On a smaller scale, militant factions associated with secessionist agendas also haunt the nation's restive southeastern region. The Chibok Shadow A most prominent large-scale abductions that drew international attention was in 2014, when about three hundred girls were abducted from their school in the north-eastern town of Chibok by the militant group. Ten years on, the country's kidnap-for-ransom issue has “consolidated into a organized, revenue-generating business” that generated around a significant sum between a recent twelve-month period, as per a recent report by a Nigerian consultancy.