About one hundred schoolchildren have been released in Nigeria. They were taken from their boarding school last month. The students were freed on Sunday and arrived in the city of Minna with soldiers protecting them. However, this is not the end of the story. More than 150 other students and twelve staff members are still missing. This shows Nigeria has a serious and ongoing problem with safety.
The children were taken from St. Mary’s Catholic school on November 21st. Armed men attacked the school and took hundreds of people. Sadly, this kind of kidnapping happens often in this area. It reminds people of the 2014 kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok. Recently, there were also big kidnappings at a church and another school.
The government organized the children's return. They traveled over 300 kilometers from their remote school to Minna in buses, with military cars around them. How they were freed is a secret. A state governor said the national government helped a lot, but the details are private for security.
The school's church officials said they are happy but also confused. They heard about the release from the news, not from the government. This shows that different parts of the government do not always work together well.
Originally, 315 people were taken. About 50 escaped soon after. Now, with 100 freed, this means 153 students and 12 staff are still with the kidnappers. These armed groups, often called "bandits," want money and use areas where there is little police control.
The freed children will see their families on Tuesday. This will be a happy day for those families. But for the whole country, it is a sad and worrying time. When schools and churches are attacked, it hurts communities and stops children from learning. While this release is good news, many people are still waiting and afraid.