130 Nigerian schoolchildren who were taken during a November attack on a Catholic school in Niger state have now been freed, according to President Bola Tinubu's spokesperson, who shared the update on Sunday. This marks one of the largest kidnappings in the country in recent times.
Reuters
Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson, said on X that the 130 children who were still missing have been released and are expected to arrive in Minna by Monday to reunite with their families for Christmas.
He added that the release was made possible through an operation carried out by military intelligence.
The students are part of more than 300 students and 12 staff members who were kidnapped by armed attackers from St Mary's Catholic boarding school in Papiri village on the early morning of November 21.
Earlier, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported that 50 of the children had managed to escape, and the Nigerian government announced on December 8 that 100 of the kidnapped students had been rescued.
Onanuga confirmed that the total number of students now released is 230.
The kidnappings have led to growing frustration over the increasing safety issues in northern Nigeria, where armed groups often attack schools for ransom.
School abductions have become more common since Boko Haram militants took 276 girls from Chibok in 2014.