Hopes were lifted on Sunday night after reports emerged that 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, had been released.
The children were part of the 315 people kidnapped on November 21, when armed bandits stormed the community at about 2 a.m., seizing 303 students and 12 teachers. Fifty students escaped within the first 24 hours, while 265—253 children and all 12 teachers—remained in captivity until the latest breakthrough.
Earlier on Sunday, parents had gathered at the school expecting to reunite with their children but left disappointed when no release occurred. School officials only urged them to remain hopeful and complete documentation of abducted pupils.
The development came on a day global powers intensified security collaboration with Nigeria.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call with President Bola Tinubu, pledged deeper counter-terrorism support, stressing that no nation should “remain a spectator” as Nigeria faces escalating extremist violence.
Macron said France would increase cooperation with Nigerian authorities and support affected communities in the North, where terror attacks and mass kidnappings have surged.
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, also met with a US Congressional fact-finding delegation led by senior lawmakers, along with US Ambassador Richard Mills.
Ribadu said discussions centered on:
strengthened counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability, intelligence sharing and humanitarian needs in conflict-affected areas.
The delegation also visited Benue State, meeting Governor Hyacinth Alia, the Tor Tiv, and displaced families in IDP camps.
The visit comes amid diplomatic tension following Washington’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations—an allegation Nigeria denies.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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