The Niger State government has taken custody of roughly 100 schoolchildren who were kidnapped during last month’s raid on a Catholic boarding school.
The children were handed over to state officials earlier on Monday, a day after authorities confirmed they had secured their release.
A convoy of white buses, flanked by military trucks and armoured vehicles, transported the students into the Government House in Minna. Governor Umar Bago greeted them at the entrance, shaking hands with several of the children before leading them into a hall where the emir and other local leaders were waiting.
According to a list of those freed, most of the children are between 10 and 17 years old, though the school also caters to much younger pupils, including those in nursery classes.
Despite the return of this group, dozens of the roughly 315 students and staff abducted during the attack on Papiri village remain missing. Around 50 others escaped shortly after the raid.
Authorities have yet to identify the armed group responsible, and the circumstances behind the release of the 100 children remain unclear.
The mass kidnapping adds to a growing list of security incidents that have intensified concerns across Nigeria. The Niger State attack occurred just days after gunmen kidnapped 25 students from a girls’ secondary school in Kebbi, abducted worshippers from a church in Kwara, and killed senior army officer General Sani Uba in an ambush attributed to suspected ISWAP fighters.
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