# Nigeria secures release of 100 abducted schoolchildren as many others remain missing
Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted last month from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in Niger state, but the fate of 165 students and staff thought to remain in captivity is still unclear.
The event date marked another step in a kidnapping crisis that has unsettled Nigeria for years and intensified sharply in recent months. According to AFP via The Guardian, the children are expected to be handed over to local government officials in Niger state on Monday. A UN source told AFP that the transfer would take place to the state government, and presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare confirmed to the news agency that the release had been secured. Local media also reported the development, although details about whether the children were freed through negotiation or force were not disclosed.
The abduction took place in November, when gunmen seized 315 pupils and staff from the Catholic school in north-central Niger state. About 50 later escaped, leaving 265 believed to have remained in captivity until the latest release. The scale of the kidnapping quickly drew comparisons with the 2014 Chibok abduction, when Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls and triggered a global outcry.
The latest case sits within a broader pattern of insecurity. Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria, but the country has seen a wave of mass abductions that has put renewed pressure on authorities. The Guardian’s report noted that armed groups and criminal gangs operate across several regions: a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeast, bandit gangs in the northwest, armed clashes between farmers and herders in the central states, and separatist-linked violence in the southeast.
The impact of the problem is not only humanitarian but financial. A recent SBM Intelligence report cited by AFP said Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom economy had become a structured, profit-seeking industry, raising about $1.66 million between July 2024 and June 2025. That figure underscores how abductions have become embedded in a wider criminal ecosystem rather than remaining isolated incidents.
For families and school communities, though, the immediate issue is still the missing. Authorities have not publicly detailed the whereabouts of the remaining students and staff, and the evidence packet does not say whether more releases are expected. The uncertainty leaves the episode unresolved even after the handover of the first 100.
The case also reflects the persistent vulnerability of schools in parts of northern Nigeria, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted boarding facilities. In practical terms, the release of 100 children is a major breakthrough. In security terms, it is also a reminder that the broader kidnapping crisis is still far from contained.
