Authorities in Nigeria said on Sunday they have secured the release of 100 schoolchildren who were abducted from a Catholic school last month.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said 315 pupils and staff were abducted by gunmen from St Mary’s Co-educational Boarding School in north-central Niger state on November 21.
Fifty students managed to escape over the next hours.
The fate of another 165 students and school staff who are believed to still be in captivity remains unclear.
What do we know about the 100 children who have been released?
A UN source told AFP news agency that 100 of the freed schoolchildren had reached the capital, Abuja. They will be handed over to local authorities in Niger state on Monday, the source said.
Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare confirmed to AFP that the schoolchildren had been returned.
Local media, including broadcaster Channels Television, also reported on the release of 100 children.
It was unclear whether the release was the result of military force or negotiations. It is not even known which group is responsible.
Niger state officials as well as CAN have said that they have not been formally informed of the children’s release. The Nigerian government has also not made any official comment.
Kidnapping incidents highlight insecurity in Nigeria’s north
For years, Nigeria has been fighting an Islamic insurgency in the country’s northeast, while gangs of so-called “bandits” kidnap and ransack villages in the northwest.
The country is still scarred by the kidnapping of nearly 300 school girls in 2014 by Boko Haram terrorists. Some former students, most of whom were aged between 16 and 18 at the time, are still missing.
But a recent increase in kidnappings since last month has again highlighted the poor security situation in the West African country. Last week, Mohammed Badru Abubakar resigned as Defense Minister as officials sought to respond.
In November, 25 Muslim schoolgirls were abducted in northwestern Kebbi state, as well as 38 Christian worshipers and their pastor in Kogi state in the north central region.
In a separate incident in Sokoto state in the north-east, a bride and 10 of her friends were kidnapped from a village.
This kidnapping has happened at a time when US President Donald Trump has increased pressure on Nigeria over alleged mass killings of Christians.
Trump has said that Christian “genocide” is taking place in Nigeria and has threatened military action if the government does not address the situation.
The Nigerian government has rejected Trump’s claims.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko