Authorities in Nigeria’s Niger State say security measures are being strengthened in high-risk areas following the release of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren and teachers after a month in captivity.
The announcement was made by Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago during a state ceremony held to welcome back the victims. The group was abducted from a Catholic boarding school in the Papiri community, in what authorities describe as one of the worst mass school kidnappings in Nigeria’s recent history.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, though residents have blamed armed groups that frequently target schools for ransom. School kidnappings have become a defining feature of insecurity in Africa’s most populous country, prompting renewed calls for stronger protection of educational institutions.
Officials declined to say whether ransom payments were involved in securing the victims’ release. Addressing reporters on Monday, Governor Bago dismissed questions on the matter, saying, “I don’t think it’s very fair to the system, to the government for you to ask whether money was used or not. Most important thing we have gotten these people back unhurt.”
“The other one is for us, not for you. So, I think the most important thing is that we have recovered missing children, and how we did it, we know it.” he added.
Most of the freed children are between the ages of 10 and 17, according to school authorities, and are expected to be reunited with their families ahead of Christmas.
