Overview
- Officials said 24 of the 25 girls abducted on November 17 from a Kebbi state boarding school have been recovered, and police reported they were reunited with their families on Wednesday.
- Church leaders in Niger state said about 303 people were seized at St. Mary’s Catholic School on Friday, roughly 50 students later escaped, and about 253 students and 12 teachers remain in captivity.
- Parents of missing children told reporters they have received little information from authorities, while a presidential spokesperson said the military is pressuring the abductors with helicopter and ground deployments.
- Nigeria ordered the temporary closure of 41 boarding schools in Niger, Kebbi, Plateau and Benue as officials assess threats and continue rescue efforts.
- No group has claimed responsibility for the recent abductions, which authorities and analysts link to ransom-driven banditry and insurgent activity that has seen at least 1,500 students kidnapped since 2014.