At the least 153 college students and 12 academics taken from a Catholic faculty final month stay in captivity.
Nigerian authorities have secured the discharge of 100 youngsters who have been amongst tons of kidnapped from a Catholic faculty in northern Nigeria final month, officers and native media have reported.
The 100 youngsters arrived in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and are set to be handed over to native authorities officers in Niger State on Monday, an unnamed United Nations supply advised the AFP information company.
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“They’re going to be handed over to Niger State authorities tomorrow,” the supply advised the AFP information company.
Nigeria’s The Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday that the rescued youngsters have been receiving medical evaluations and can be reunited with their households after a debriefing.
Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare additionally confirmed studies to the AFP that 100 youngsters have been being freed.
Armed gunmen kidnapped 303 college students and 12 academics from St Mary’s Faculty within the Papiri group of Niger State’s Agwara district on November 21.
They included each female and male college students aged between 10 to 18 years, in accordance with the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN).
Fifty of the scholars escaped captivity within the days after they have been kidnapped, returning house to their households. Following the discharge of 100 college students on Sunday, 153 college students and 12 academics are believed to stay in captivity.
Days earlier, gunmen kidnapped 25 schoolgirls from the Authorities Women Complete Secondary Faculty within the neighbouring Kebbi State’s Maga city,170km (106 miles) away.
“We have now been praying and ready for his or her return. Whether it is true, then it’s a cheering information,” mentioned Daniel Atori, spokesman for Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora diocese, which runs the college.
“Nevertheless, we aren’t formally conscious and haven’t been duly notified by the federal authorities.”
The newest abductions are the worst seen in Nigeria since greater than 270 ladies from Chibok city have been snatched from their faculty in 2014.
In whole, greater than 1,400 Nigerian college students have been kidnapped since 2014, in virtually a dozen separate incidents.
The latest kidnappings got here quickly after United States President Donald Trump mentioned that Nigeria’s Christians are dealing with genocide, a declare that has been questioned by native officers and Christian teams, who say that individuals from completely different faiths have been caught up in ongoing violence in components of the nation.
Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs, advised Al Jazeera final month that individuals of all faiths have been affected by the continued violence.
“We’ve repeatedly made our level clear that we acknowledge the truth that there are killings which have taken place in Nigeria, however these killings weren’t restricted to Christians alone. Muslims are being killed. Conventional worshippers are being killed,” Ebienfa mentioned.
“The bulk isn’t the Christian inhabitants.”
Trump has threatened navy intervention in Nigeria, alleging that the nation is failing to guard Christians from persecution. He has additionally threatened to chop assist to Nigeria.
Nigeria, a rustic of greater than 200 million individuals, is split between the largely Muslim north and principally Christian south.
In accordance with Pew Analysis Middle estimates, Muslims make up 56 p.c of Nigeria’s inhabitants, whereas Christians make up simply greater than 43 p.c.
Armed teams have been engaged in a battle that has been largely confined to the northeast of the nation, which is majority Muslim, and has dragged on for greater than 15 years.
