Nearly 100 children who were seized from a Catholic school in central Nigeria last month have been released. The youngsters were brought to Minna, the capital of Niger State, in minibuses escorted by heavily armed security vehicles, where they were formally received by Governor Umar Bago.
Authorities have not disclosed how the rescue was achieved. It remains unclear whether the children’s freedom came through negotiations, a security operation, or any form of ransom payment.
More than 250 students and a dozen staff members were abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri during the attack — one of the latest incidents in a troubling surge of mass kidnappings across northern and central Nigeria.
According to information gathered by the BBC, the rescued children will be transported back to their school on Tuesday, where their families are waiting to welcome them home.
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule told local media that the federal government played an instrumental role behind the scenes in securing the children’s release, but said details could not be made public for security reasons.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu visited Papiri last week, where he met community leaders, including Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and assured them the hostages would soon be returned.
Despite the good news, around 153 students and 12 staff members remain in captivity, still held by unidentified gunmen.
Schools and religious centres have become frequent targets in the recent wave of violence. The kidnapping at St Mary’s was preceded by several major attacks:
- On 18 November, gunmen stormed Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara State, killing two people and abducting 38.
- A day earlier, two were killed and 25 Muslim students were taken from Government Girls’ Secondary School in Kebbi State.
All victims from the Kebbi and Kwara incidents have since been released.
The violence has continued, with at least 20 people kidnapped last week in separate attacks — one at a newly opened church in Kogi State where a pastor, his wife, and worshippers were taken, and another in Sokoto State where a bride and her bridesmaids were abducted.
While analysts generally believe these abductions are carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom, government officials insist that jihadist groups may also be involved.
Nigeria has outlawed ransom payments in an effort to limit funding for kidnappers, though it is widely suspected that money still exchanges hands in many cases.
The country’s security crisis drew international attention last month after U.S. President Donald Trump warned he might deploy troops if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
However, Nigerian authorities and experts stress that victims come from all religious communities and say there is no evidence that Christians are being specifically targeted.