Government officials had not publicly commented by Monday afternoon, leaving many parents desperate for clarity over whether their children were among those rescued. Some only learned of the development through social media.
Yunusa Kabukaya, whose 11 year old daughter Magret was seized along with more than 300 pupils and 12 staff from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri on 21 November, said no one had contacted him directly. “I am desperate to know if my daughter is among the rescued students,” he said.
Around 50 children escaped within hours of the original attack, but there had been no information on the others until now. More than 150 students remain unaccounted for.
Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state, confirmed that 100 children had been freed and were expected to arrive in Minna, the state capital, later on Monday. Some of those abducted were as young as six years old and will be handed over to church and school officials once they arrive.
Parents from distant villages said the lack of firm information had deepened their distress. “Our lives have not been the same since the incident,” said Dauda Gwanja, whose 15 year old son was kidnapped. “We only know about the rescue online. My wife has refused to eat since that day.”
The abductions sparked renewed outrage over worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, where armed gangs commonly target schools for ransom. The tactic surged after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from Chibok in 2014.
A United States congressional delegation was in Nigeria on Monday for talks with government and church leaders, following comments by US President Donald Trump last month in which he threatened military action over attacks on Christians. Congressman Riley Moore welcomed the children’s rescue and said discussions had centred on strengthening security cooperation, including the creation of a new Nigeria, US joint task force.
Moore said he believed coordinated measures could help dismantle extremist networks in the northeast and reduce targeted killings. “There is much work still to be done, but things are moving in the right direction,” he said.