One hundred of the 303 kidnapped students from a school in northern Nigeria are released

At least one hundred of the 303 students kidnapped last month from St. Mary's Catholic School, in Niger State, northern Nigeria, were released by the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as confirmed this Monday to EFE by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN, in English). "Yes, the government has informed us of the release of one hundred students. The Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the state government confirmed the release to us," Reverend Joseph Hayyab, chairman of the CAN in the northern states of Nigeria, told EFE. Of the 303 students and twelve teaching staff members kidnapped by armed individuals, about 50 managed to escape on their own between November 21 and 22. Around 153 minors and all teaching staff members are still in captivity.

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"We are ready to receive the children. The parents and everyone have suffered a lot because of the kidnapping and we are eager to have them back," added Hayyab and praised the government for the effort made. Bishop Bulus Yohanna, CAN chairman in Niger state and owner of the Catholic boarding school where the attack occurred, also confirmed the news to EFE. "We have been informed of the release of 100 students. We don't have them with us yet. We hope the government will hand them over to us as soon as possible. We also hope that the others will be released as soon as possible," Yohanna said. The Nigerian government ordered the temporary closure of 41 boarding schools located in the states of Niger and Kebbi, in the northwest, and in Plateau and Benue, in the central region of the territory, which are the main hotspots for kidnappings and killings in the country. The Police deployed tactical units, military personnel, and other security agencies to conduct search and rescue operations in the affected areas. A UNICEF report, published in April 2024, indicates that only 37% of schools in ten Nigerian states affected by conflict have early warning systems for threats. Some states in Nigeria, especially in the center and northwest of the country, suffer constant attacks by bandits, a term used to name criminal gangs that commit assaults and mass kidnappings for ransom, which the authorities sometimes call "terrorists". Adding to this insecurity is the activity of the jihadist group Boko Haram since 2009 in the northeast of the country and, from 2016, of its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). In 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a school in the village of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria; although many escaped their captors, according to the UN, at least 91 are still unable to return home.