Nigeria says 130 kidnapped Catholic schoolchildren freed

"The country has seen a wave of recent mass abductions, as it suffers from multiple interlinked security concerns. Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren taken by gunmen from a Catholic school in November, according to a presidential spokesman, after 100 were freed earlier this month. Another 130 Abducted Niger State Pupils Released, None Left In Captivity, Sunday Dare said in a post on X on Sunday. list of 4 itemsend of list"

"In late November, hundreds of students and staff were kidnapped from St Mary's co-educational boarding school in north-central Niger State. The attack came amid a wave of mass abductions reminiscent of the 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of schoolgirls in the town of Chibok. The West African country suffers from multiple interlinked security concerns, from armed groups in the northeast to armed bandit gangs in the northwest."

"The exact number of children taken from St Mary's has been unclear throughout the ordeal. Initially, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said that 315 students and staff were unaccounted for after the attack in the rural hamlet of Papiri. About 50 of them escaped immediately afterwards, and on December 7, the government secured the release of about 100 people. That would leave about 165 thought to be still in captivity before Sunday's announcement that 130 were rescued."

Authorities in Niger State secured the release of 130 schoolchildren abducted from St Mary's Catholic co-educational boarding school in late November, after earlier freeing about 100 pupils. Initial reports varied, with the Christian Association of Nigeria saying 315 students and staff were unaccounted for following the attack in Papiri; roughly 50 escaped immediately. The accounting of abductees has been complicated by scattered, remote home locations requiring long motorbike journeys and by some victims fleeing and returning independently. The releases came amid a broader national security crisis involving armed groups in the northeast and bandit gangs in the northwest.

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