Nigeria rescues 100 abducted schoolchildren, parents anxiously await news

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Dec 8 - Nigeria's government has rescued 100 schoolchildren abducted last month from a Catholic school in Niger state, a Christian group said on Monday after one of the country's biggest mass kidnappings in recent years. 

Authorities did not immediately comment publicly on the rescue and it was unclear whether the children had been freed through negotiations, ransom payments or a security operation.

Some parents said they were waiting to find out whether their children were among those freed and expressed anguish over the lack of information.

"I just saw the news on social media," said Yunusa Kabukaya, whose 11-year-old daughter Magret was among more than 300 pupils and 12 staff seized from St Mary's Catholic School in Papiri village on November 21.

"Nobody has contacted me, but I'm desperate to know if my daughter is among the rescued students."

CONCERNS OVER INSECURITY

About 50 children escaped hours after the attack, but there had been no word on the others until Monday. There was no news on Monday of the over 150 others abducted from the boarding school last month.

Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state, said officials had confirmed the rescue of the 100 schoolchildren earlier on Monday.

Some of the abducted children were as young as six. The students were expected to arrive later on Monday in Minna, the capital of Niger state, and would then be handed over to church and school officials.

"I am in Rafin Tala village and it will take me at least seven hours to reach Minna," said Kabukaya.

Dauda Gwanja, father of a 15-year-old who was kidnapped, said his family was struggling.

"We only know of the 100 students on the internet. I don't know if my child is among them. Our lives have not been the same since the incident. My wife has refused to eat since then," he said.

The abduction caused outrage over worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, where armed gangs frequently target schools for ransom. School kidnappings surged after Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls from Chibok in 2014.

NIGERIA AND U.S. TO CREATE JOINT TASK FORCE 

A U.S. congressional delegation was in Nigeria on Monday meeting government and church leaders, after U.S. President Donald Trump last month threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country.

Welcoming the children's rescue, Congressman Riley Moore said the talks had focused on steps to enhance security in the West African country and that a joint Nigeria-U.S. task force would be created.

"I want to thank National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu for a productive and positive conversation," Moore said on X.

He said concrete steps and actions had been discussed which he believed could destroy "terrorist organisations" in northeast Nigeria and "stop the killing of Christians."

The rescue of the 100 schoolchildren was "a positive demonstration of the government's increasing response to the security situation", he said, citing the creation of the joint task force as an example of growing cooperation.

"There is much work still to be done, but things are moving in the right direction," he said. REUTERS