Good news! Military officials rescued more than 130 Nigerian schoolchildren on Sunday. Kidnappers had abducted them more than two weeks ago. After receiving medical care, they will return home, say officials.
The kidnapping crisis in Nigeria is serious. Kidnappers have snatched at least 1,400 students from Nigerian schools since 2014. At that time, Boko Haram militants seized hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok. More recently, kidnappings occur mostly in the country’s northwest and central regions. In those areas, dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travelers for ransom.
The gospels make clear that Jesus loves little children. (Matthew 18:10, Mark 9:36-37, Luke 9:47-48) He condemns the actions of these criminal gangs—or anyone who mistreats His image-bearers!
On March 7, motorcycle-riding gunmen invaded Nigeria’s remote Kaduna state. School officials first reported the kidnapping total as 287 students. However, Governor Uba Sani said Sunday that attackers had taken 137 young people.
Differing reports are common in Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis. Sometimes that’s because of poor recordkeeping. Other times it’s because some hostages escape moments after abduction.
Military officials found the children more than 124 miles from their school, says Major General Edward Buba.
“We are here today happily and celebrating the safe return of our children. They will soon be with their family and their parents,” Sani says.
Early pictures showed the students, many under age 10, looking tired and covered in dust. They still wore their school uniforms.
Six children remain in the hospital. Sadly, one staff member abducted along with the children died in captivity.
The other children appeared on Monday at the Kaduna State Government House. They had fresh haircuts and new clothes and footwear. This was their first change of clothing since their abduction. Officials say the students were in “high spirits.”
Under growing pressure to end the mass kidnappings, President Bola Tinubu promises “to ensure that our schools remain safe sanctuaries of learning, not lairs for wanton abductions.”
No group has admitted to the Kaduna kidnapping. Locals blame the abduction on bandit groups in the conflict-battered northern region.
Ransoms for the return of kidnap victims are common in Nigeria. Families often pay them. Tinubu had vowed to rescue the children “without paying a dime” as ransom. But it’s rare for officials in Nigeria to admit to the payments.
At least two people with knowledge of the crisis say the abductors’ identities are known. But arrests are rare. Kidnappers usually release victims only after desperate families pay ransoms—or cut deals with officials.
