Nigeria has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren taken during last month’s mass abduction at St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Channels Television, which first reported the development on Sunday, said the children were among the 315 people seized when armed men stormed the remote community in Niger State on 21 November. The victims included 303 students and 12 teachers.
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The attackers, who rode on motorbikes, invaded the school at about 2 am and operated for nearly three hours, moving from dormitory to dormitory before marching the captives into nearby forests.
Fifty pupils managed to escape, but 265 victims, including 253 children, remained missing, prompting a national security emergency.
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The Federal Government responded by imposing a security cordon around border communities and deploying both ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger States.
President Bola Tinubu also cancelled official travel to coordinate the rescue efforts. Authorities ordered the temporary shutdown of all schools in Niger State and several federal institutions in high-risk areas.
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The release of the 100 children comes amid a series of violent attacks in Niger State.
On Wednesday, 24 farmers were abducted in Palaita community in Shiroro Local Government Area, and a visually impaired resident in nearby Kakuru was assaulted and had his right hand severed by armed men.
Police authorities said rescue operations to free the remaining victims are ongoing.
