Overview
- The presidency and a United Nations source confirmed the rescue, with presidential spokesman Sunday Dare telling AFP that 100 students were freed.
- A UN source said the pupils from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri will be handed to local government officials in Niger state on Monday.
- Armed men raided the boarding school on November 21, abducting more than 303 students and 12 teachers, and authorities say about 50 students later escaped.
- Reporting indicates there is no news of roughly 165 people who are presumed still held, as security operations continue in the area.
- State officials had earlier ordered schools to suspend classes in the area, yet St. Mary’s reportedly reopened without authorization, and the episode has prompted an investigation into coordination and safety lapses.