Nigeria has secured the release of the remaining 130 schoolchildren abducted during a November raid on St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Niger State, bringing the total number freed to 230. Fifty of the kidnapped students managed to escape immediately after the raid. According to an aide to President Bola Tinubu, the 130 children were rescued through a military intelligence-led operation and are set to reunite with their families ahead of Christmas. The mass kidnapping, which initially saw 315 students and staff taken, underscores Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, particularly in the northwest, where armed groups routinely abduct civilians for ransom. While authorities have not disclosed how the release was secured, the development offers rare relief amid a surge in abductions nationwide.
DW
