Overview
- Channels Television reported that 100 schoolchildren taken in the Nov. 21 raid on St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Papiri have been freed, with no immediate details on how the release was achieved.
- A United Nations source told AFP the children are expected to be handed over to Niger state authorities on Monday, and a presidential spokesman confirmed the release to AFP, according to the Mint report.
- The Christian Association of Nigeria previously said 303 children and 12 staff were abducted, and earlier updates noted about 50 pupils escaped in the hours after the attack.
- Authorities and faith leaders say many of the abducted children, some reportedly as young as six, and several staff members remain missing.
- The mass abduction has intensified scrutiny of Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, with officials having declared a security emergency and expanded operations in the weeks following the attack.