abuja, nigeria
Reuters
—
Nigeria’s government has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted last month in Niger state in one of the worst mass kidnappings in the country’s history, local broadcaster Channels Television reported on Sunday.
On November 21, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) announced that 303 children and 12 school staff were abducted by armed men from St. Mary’s Catholic Boarding School in Papiri, Niger State.
Fifty students managed to escape in the hours that followed, but since then there has been no update on the whereabouts or status of the other children, some as young as 6, and the missing school staff.
Channels Television did not immediately provide details regarding the release.
CAN and Niger state authorities said they had not been formally informed of the children’s release.
The Nigerian government had no immediate comment.
“We are not officially aware and we have not received any formal notification from the federal government. We hope and pray that it is true and we look forward to when the rest will be released,” said Daniel Atli, spokesperson for the Niger State CAN Directorate.
The school attack spotlights ongoing security insecurity in Nigeria, more than a decade after the Chibok mass abductions, as the country comes under US President Donald Trump’s scrutiny over allegations of mistreatment of Christians.
Early Sunday morning, the U.S. Congressional delegation met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja, where “discussions focused on counterterrorism cooperation, regional stability, and strengthening the Nigeria-U.S. security partnership,” Ribadu said.
