Nigerian authorities have successfully secured the release of 130 schoolchildren and staff who were abducted from a Catholic boarding school in the country's central Niger state in late November, a presidential spokesman announced on Sunday. This latest release, following an earlier one of approximately 100 individuals, means that all 230 abducted students and staff are now accounted for, with officials declaring, "not a single pupil is left in captivity." The federal government lauded the development as a "moment of triumph and relief" after one of the country's most significant mass kidnappings.

The mass abduction occurred on November 21 when gunmen targeted St Mary's co-educational boarding school in the rural hamlet of Papiri. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) initially reported that 315 students and staff were unaccounted for after the attack. However, around 50 individuals managed to escape immediately following the incident, reducing the initial number of those held captive. On December 7/8, the government secured the release of about 100 abductees, comprising 99 children and one teacher.

Despite the joyous news, the exact number of individuals taken and those remaining in captivity had been a source of confusion throughout the ordeal. Initially, after the first release, approximately 165 individuals were thought to still be held by the kidnappers. However, a UN source suggested that all those taken appeared to have been released, with many managing to run off during the attack and return home. The Niger state police chief, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, clarified that the recently released 130 individuals accounted for all remaining abductees, attributing the discrepancy to faulty initial figures provided by the school management.

Following their release, the freed students and staff are undergoing examination by security forces before being transported to Minna, the capital of Niger state, on Monday. There, they are expected to reunite with their families at the school. Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who oversees the school's region, confirmed the release after being informed by Niger state Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago. Local emergency worker Abdullahi Rofia reported that parents in Papiri were in high spirits over the news, eagerly awaiting their children's return.

The method by which the government secured this latest release has not been publicly disclosed, nor has it been confirmed whether a ransom was paid. Analysts frequently suggest that Nigerian authorities likely pay ransoms in such situations, despite laws technically prohibiting such payments. Kidnappings for ransom are a prevalent tactic used by criminal gangs and armed groups across Nigeria to generate quick funds.

This incident is part of a disturbing wave of mass abductions that has plagued Nigeria, drawing uncomfortable comparisons to the infamous 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok. The country grapples with complex, interlinked security challenges, ranging from jihadist insurgencies in the northeast to armed "bandit" gangs in the northwest. November saw a particularly alarming spate of such attacks, including the abduction of two dozen Muslim schoolgirls, 38 church worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara state (November 18), and 25 Muslim students from Government Girls' Secondary School in Kebbi state (November 17), among others. Fortunately, all individuals taken in the Kwara and Kebbi attacks have since been freed.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has affirmed his government's commitment to collaborating with Niger and other states to "secure our schools and make the learning environment safer and more conducive for our younger ones." The broader security situation in Nigeria has also attracted international attention, including allegations from former US President Donald Trump regarding mass killings of Christians amounting to "genocide," a framing that the Nigerian government and independent analysts strongly reject.