Nigeria Secures Release of 100 Kidnapped Schoolchildren in Deal with Abductors
In a positive turn of events for the embattled nation, Nigerian authorities have successfully negotiated the release of 100 schoolchildren who were kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in north-central Niger state last month. The children, along with 165 other students and staff members, were taken by gunmen on November 15th in a shocking incident that drew international attention due to its striking similarity to the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of hundreds of girls from their Chibok school.
According to UN sources and local media, the 100 released children are scheduled to be handed over to local government officials in Niger state on Monday. However, the fate of the remaining students and staff members who were thought to still be in the kidnappers' hands remains shrouded in uncertainty.
The release comes as a significant relief for parents and teachers at St Mary's co-educational boarding school, where the children were abducted. "We have been praying and waiting for their return," said Daniel Atori, spokesperson for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese that runs the school. "However, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the federal government."
The incident highlights the growing kidnap-for-ransom crisis in Nigeria, which has become a lucrative industry for armed groups in recent years. The country is grappling with numerous security challenges, including a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east, armed bandit gangs operating in the north-west, and communal clashes between farmers and herders over land and resources.
Last year, a report by SBM Intelligence revealed that Nigeria's kidnap-for-ransom crisis had raised approximately $1.66m (£1.24m) between July 2024 and June 2025 alone. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the nation's vulnerability to violent extremism and the need for sustained efforts to address these security challenges.
While the release of 100 schoolchildren marks a welcome development, many questions still linger about the circumstances surrounding their abduction and the fate of those who remain in captivity.
In a positive turn of events for the embattled nation, Nigerian authorities have successfully negotiated the release of 100 schoolchildren who were kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in north-central Niger state last month. The children, along with 165 other students and staff members, were taken by gunmen on November 15th in a shocking incident that drew international attention due to its striking similarity to the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of hundreds of girls from their Chibok school.
According to UN sources and local media, the 100 released children are scheduled to be handed over to local government officials in Niger state on Monday. However, the fate of the remaining students and staff members who were thought to still be in the kidnappers' hands remains shrouded in uncertainty.
The release comes as a significant relief for parents and teachers at St Mary's co-educational boarding school, where the children were abducted. "We have been praying and waiting for their return," said Daniel Atori, spokesperson for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese that runs the school. "However, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the federal government."
The incident highlights the growing kidnap-for-ransom crisis in Nigeria, which has become a lucrative industry for armed groups in recent years. The country is grappling with numerous security challenges, including a long-running jihadist insurgency in the north-east, armed bandit gangs operating in the north-west, and communal clashes between farmers and herders over land and resources.
Last year, a report by SBM Intelligence revealed that Nigeria's kidnap-for-ransom crisis had raised approximately $1.66m (£1.24m) between July 2024 and June 2025 alone. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the nation's vulnerability to violent extremism and the need for sustained efforts to address these security challenges.
While the release of 100 schoolchildren marks a welcome development, many questions still linger about the circumstances surrounding their abduction and the fate of those who remain in captivity.
I just made a diagram to illustrate what's happening with these kidnapped school kids 
Like last year's report, kidnap-for-ransom crisis is a big deal in Nigeria 
$1.66m 
and we need to keep fighting the good fight against jihadist insurrection 
and armed bandits 
Can we trust our government? 
... i mean, its great that the kids are being released but like, whats the deal with all these kidnappings? 
and now they're saying this kidnap-for-ransom industry is making over $1.6m per year? 
thats insane! the fact that the govnt has been able to negotiate these releases is def a plus but we need more concrete solutions to deal with these security issues, not just short-term fixes 
... I mean, what's up with Nigerias kidnap game? They're like the experts at making things worse for themselves. It's not like they've tried every other approach already to deal with these groups and failed miserably.
they've been through so much stress and anxiety since the kids got taken, it's amazing that negotiations were able to bring them home safely 100 kids is a big chunk of the total number taken, hopefully the others get released soon too. this whole kidnap-for-ransom thing is really disturbing in nigeria - seems like these groups have made a business out of targeting innocent people 
can't believe the numbers of money they've made off it already $1.66m is insane
100 kids r free but 165 others r still held captive 
can't let these armed groups run wild 
also, $1.66m is a lil crazy for kidnap-for-ransom crisis 
meanwhile its just crazy 2 think dat kidnappers r makin a profit off dis 
like whats next? de price of human life? 
hope they are safe and sound now 
its like nigeria cant catch a break wat happened to all de money supposed to be spent on security? didnt it go into pockets of corrupt officials instead? need better solutions than just negotiating with kidnappers 4 now
but I gotta say, this whole situation is super worrying 
. We can't just sit back and hope that everything works out on its own 
.
. I mean, have you seen those reports from last year? $1.66m?! That's like, a whole lot of money for one industry 
, but also let's not forget about the systemic issues that led to this situation in the first place 
. Time for some serious change! 
. If we don't tackle these issues head-on, we'll be seeing more of these kidnap-for-ransom crises 
.
. We need to take a step back and rethink our approach to security and development in Nigeria 
It's heartbreaking to think that these 100 kids were held captive for weeks, but thankfully, they're on their way back home. Still a lot of questions left unanswered, though... what happened to the remaining 165? 
hopefully the rest get released soon too my heart goes out to all the families of the kids that are still missing 
and yeah the whole country is dealing with so many security issues atm it's like they're getting more than they can handle 
I mean, what's the deal with these kidnap-for-ransom groups in Nigeria? It's like they're trying to make a quick buck off the terror they inflict on innocent kids 
. The only silver lining is that they got some cash, right? 
anyway, back to Nigeria... I'm kinda surprised they got some of the kids back, but like, what's the deal with these kidnap-for-ransom groups? They're basically making bank off these families and schools. Reminds me of that time I tried to barter for a sweater at a flea market - had to give up way too much 