100 abducted Nigerian students freed, over 160 remain missing

Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted by gunmen from a Catholic school last month, a United Nations source and local media confirmed Sunday.

While the children arrived in the capital Abuja, the fate of the 165 remaining students and staff members thought to still be in captivity remains uncertain.

The mass abduction occurred in late November at St. Mary's co-educational boarding school in north-central Niger state.

A total of 315 students and staff were initially kidnapped in an incident reminiscent of the infamous 2014 Boko Haram abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok.

Some 50 escaped shortly afterward, leaving 265 thought to be in captivity prior to this release.

The 100 recently freed children have arrived in Abuja and are scheduled to be handed over to local government officials in Niger state on Monday, according to the UN source.

"They are going to be handed over to Niger state government tomorrow," the source told AFP.

Local media also reported the release of the 100 children but offered no details on whether the rescue was achieved through negotiation or military force, nor on the status of the remaining students and staff thought to still be held by the kidnappers.

Armed men abduct over 200 students, 12 teachers in Nigeria

Gunmen have attacked a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria, kidnapping more than 200 schoolchildren along with 12 teachers.

The freeing of the 100 children was confirmed by presidential spokesman Sunday Dare.

"We have been praying and waiting for their return. If it is true, then it is cheering news," said Daniel Atori, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese, which runs the school. "However, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified by the federal government."

Although kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria, used by criminals and armed groups to make quick cash, a recent spate of mass abductions in November put an uncomfortable spotlight on the country's already severe security situation.

Nigeria continues to grapple with a long-running insurgency in the northeast, while armed "bandit" gangs conduct kidnappings and loot villages in the northwest.

In November alone, assailants across the country kidnapped two dozen Muslim schoolgirls, 38 church worshippers, a bride and her bridesmaids, farmers, women, and children.

It remains unclear who was behind the St. Mary's kidnapping specifically.

The kidnappings coincided with Nigeria facing a diplomatic offensive from the United States, where President Donald Trump has alleged that mass killings of Christians amount to a "genocide" and threatened military intervention.

The Nigerian government and independent analysts have rejected that framing, which has long been used by the Christian right in the United States and Europe.

The religiously diverse country of 230 million people is the scene of myriad conflicts, including farmer-herder clashes in the center and separatist violence in the southeast, that have resulted in the deaths of both Christians and Muslims.

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