Nigerian authorities have announced the release of the remaining 130 schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic boarding school in Niger state last month, according to a presidential spokesperson. The children were taken from St Mary's co-educational school in late November, in a mass abduction that sparked widespread concern.
Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare confirmed on social media that all captives are now free, posting a photo of smiling children. The release follows the earlier freeing of 100 students earlier in December. The exact number of those kidnapped had been unclear, with the Christian Association of Nigeria estimating 315 students and staff taken, of whom 50 escaped immediately.
The government has not disclosed who carried out the kidnapping or how the release was secured. The incident is part of a recent surge in mass abductions in Nigeria, reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping by Boko Haram. Kidnappings for ransom are common, but the scale of recent events has highlighted the country's security challenges.
President Bola Tinubu had previously stated that 115 people remained in captivity, a figure lower than the Christian Association's estimate. The freed children are expected to be taken to Minna, the state capital. The development comes amid diplomatic tensions with the United States, where President Donald Trump has alleged a 'genocide' against Christians in Nigeria, a claim rejected by the Nigerian government and independent analysts.
