The Nigerian government said on Sunday that all remaining schoolchildren and staff abducted in a brazen attack on a Catholic boarding school in Niger State last month have been released, bringing an end to one of the country’s largest mass kidnappings in recent years.

“Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils have been released, with none left in captivity,” Sunday Dare, a spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, said in a post on X. The statement did not provide details on how the release was secured.

The abductions occurred in the early hours of November 21, when gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic co-educational boarding school in the rural Papiri area of north-central Niger State. More than 300 students and teachers were seized, according to early estimates.

In the days following the attack, at least 50 students managed to escape on their own, while security forces later rescued another 100, President Tinubu announced on December 8. At the time, he vowed that no effort would be spared to bring home those still missing. Sunday’s announcement, echoed by another presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, suggests that this promise has now been fulfilled.

“The remaining 130 schoolchildren abducted by terrorists have now been released,” Mr. Onanuga said in a post on X. He added that the children were expected to arrive in Minna, the Niger State capital, on Monday. They would then reunite with their families ahead of Christmas. He described the operation as “military-intelligence driven.”

Authorities have not disclosed who carried out the attack or how the captives were freed. Analysts say that based on past cases, ransom payments are often involved, even though they are officially prohibited by law.

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora expressed appreciation to federal and state authorities, security agencies, and humanitarian partners for helping secure the children’s release. “We are deeply grateful for their efforts and interventions,” Rev. Fr. Jatau Luka Joseph said in a statement.

Kidnappings for ransom have become common in Nigeria, driven by armed criminal gangs in the northwest and militant groups in the northeast. The November abductions, which included Muslim schoolgirls, church worshippers, and a bride with her bridesmaids, highlighted the crisis’s scale. They drew comparisons to the 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok, an incident that shocked the world.

A decade later, the problem has only worsened. According to a recent report by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom economy has “consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking industry,” generating an estimated $1.66 million between July 2024 and June 2025.

The latest releases may bring relief to families in Niger State, but they do little to ease broader concerns about security in Nigeria or fears that schools remain prime targets in a conflict showing few signs of abating.

Edited by CGTN Africa reporter Marion Gachuhi