Nigeria’s government has rescued 100 schoolchildren abducted last month from a Catholic school in Niger state, a Christian group said yesterday after one of the country’s biggest mass kidnappings in recent years.
Authorities did not immediately comment publicly on the rescue and it was unclear whether the children had been freed through negotiations, ransom payments or a security operation.
Some parents said they were waiting to find out whether their children were among those freed and expressed anguish over the lack of information.
About 50 children escaped hours after the attack, but there had been no word on the others until yesterday.
There was no news yesterday of the over 150 others abducted from the boarding school last month.
Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state, said officials had confirmed the rescue of the 100 schoolchildren earlier yesterday.
Some of the abducted children were as young as six.
The students were expected to arrive later in Minna, the capital of Niger state, and would then be handed over to church and school officials.
The abduction caused outrage over worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, where armed gangs frequently target schools for ransom.
A US congressional delegation was in Nigeria yesterday meeting government and church leaders, after US President Donald Trump last month threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country.
Welcoming the children’s rescue, Congressman Riley Moore said the talks had focused on steps to enhance security in the West African country and that a joint Nigeria-US task force would be created.
He said concrete steps and actions had been discussed which he believed could destroy “terrorist organisations” in northeast Nigeria and “stop the killing of Christians.”
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