New Facts Emerge After Niger School Abductees Finally Regain Freedom

• Nigerian authorities say they have secured the release of a further 130 schoolchildren kidnapped from a Catholic school in November, after 100 were freed earlier in December
• In late November, hundreds of students and staff were kidnapped from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in north-central Niger State
• It is not fully clear which group carried out the kidnappings or how authorities secured the release of those abducted, but a media investigation claimed that the abduction was carried out by Boko Haram

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.

Minna, Niger State - Additional details have emerged about the students and staff of St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, who regained their freedom on Sunday, December 21, exactly one month after they were abducted from their dormitories.

Legit.ng reports that the kidnapping and release of the students and staff members comes amid a resurgence of mass kidnappings across Nigeria, highlighting the country’s worsening security crisis.

A decade after the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, kidnap-for-ransom has evolved into what SBM Intelligence describes as a structured criminal enterprise, generating an estimated N2.56 billion between July 2024 and June 2025.

The victims were released at a location near Nigeria’s border with Benin and were transported through the garrison town of Wawa, Mokwa and Bida to Minna, the Niger State capital.

Some Niger captives 'still missing'

Security sources confirmed the release of 130 captives, comprising students and staff. Wasiu Abiodun, the Niger State police spokesperson, later confirmed the development, saying the released persons included both students and staff.

In the same vein, a presidential spokesperson, Sunday Dare, announced the release in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that no victim remained in captivity.

However, conflicting figures continue to trail the abduction. While government officials say all hostages have been released, the school management and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had earlier put the total number of remaining abducted persons at 165, following the release of 100 captives on December 7.

According to the school’s estimates, up to 35 people may still be unaccounted for, raising concerns that some victims could remain missing, Premium Times reported on Monday, December 22.

Who is behind Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis?

Nigeria has for years grappled with armed groups, known locally as "bandits," that raid villages and abduct people for ransom, particularly in the northwest of the country.

The West African country's kidnapping crisis has intensified in recent months, with The Punch reporting early in December that some 490 people had been abducted in two weeks.

On December 2, Defence Minister Badaru Abubakar resigned amid the spate of abductions.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's northeast has been beset by an Islamist insurgency, with militants also carrying out kidnappings.

Asked who was behind the kidnappings, Dare replied:

"Abundant data - both nationally and internationally - reveals clearly that ISWAP are all over the place. Also, whatever is left of Boko Haram, they are right there."

He added:

"They are the ones involved in this process."

But analyst Bulama Bukarti told the BBC that he disagreed with the government’s claims attributing the recent wave of kidnappings to jihadist groups, stating that the mass abductions were carried out by bandits.

Geography plays a critical role in the crisis. Kidnappings are concentrated in border regions adjacent to Chad and other neighbouring states, where porous frontiers allow fighters and weapons to move freely.

Illegal arms smuggling and weak law enforcement presence make it easier for criminal groups to operate with impunity.

Read more Niger State news:

• FG secures release of 100 Niger Catholic schoolchildren
• Panic as military jet crashes in Niger community, video emerges
• “Why military Alpha Jet crashed in Niger community”: NAF explains

Bandits kill vigilantes in Niger

Legit.ng earlier reported that at least 16 vigilante members died and more than forty residents were abducted following a series of coordinated attacks by bandits across several communities in Mashegu local government area (LGA) of Niger state.

The incidents have forced many villagers to flee their homes.

A community member, who requested anonymity, said local vigilantes pursued the attackers and exchanged gunfire, resulting in the deaths of three vigilantes, while five injured residents were taken to the hospital.