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A total of 100 school children were kidnapped from Nigerian Catholic The Christian Association of Nigeria said on Monday that schools had been released and more than 100 students were imprisoned last month.
At least 303 schoolchildren were captured along with 12 of their teachers at the school in Niger state on November 21 when gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community. In the hours that followed, 50 children escaped.
Daniel Atori, a spokesman for the association in Niger state, told The Associated Press that the church learned that the children had been released over the weekend and would be taken to Minna, the capital of Niger state, to meet with authorities.
It was not immediately clear how the 100 schoolchildren were freed or whether any arrests were made. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but locals have blamed armed gangs who target schools and travelers in kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria’s conflict-torn north.
The Niger state attack was one of a series of recent mass kidnappings in Nigeria, and came four days after 25 schoolchildren were captured in similar circumstances in the town of Maga in neighboring Kebbi state, 170 kilometers (106 miles) away. Around the same time a church in southern Kwara state was also attacked; 38 worshipers abducted in that attack last month have been freed.
Domestically and under pressure from the US President donald trump – the one who made this allegation Christians Nigeria is being targeted in a security crisis – Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has promised not to back down until all hostages are freed.
Nigerian authorities generally do not say much about rescue efforts and arrests in such cases are rare. Analysts believe this is because the ransom is usually paid. The authorities do not acknowledge the payment of ransom.