One hundred kidnapped schoolchildren have been found in the Nigerian town of Papiri. The children, some of whom are under six years old, were rescued by the Nigerian army. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on Monday.
At the end of November, armed robbers kidnapped about three hundred children from a Catholic boarding school in the west of the country. It was one of the largest kidnappings in Nigeria’s history. A day after the kidnapping, fifty students managed to escape.
In Nigeria, kidnappings are a revenue model for armed gangs and jihadist groups. Sometimes there is an ideological motive, but often the gangs kidnap people and then demand ransom. Both Christians and Muslims are victims of the attacks. Boarding schools are a popular target because there are many students there at the same time and they are often located outside the cities.
After the kidnapping of the schoolchildren, another kidnapping took place. Last week, armed men kidnapped at least 20 people in two separate attacks. At a newly established church in the central state of Kogi, a pastor, his wife and some worshipers were taken. A bride and her bridesmaids were kidnapped in the predominantly Muslim northern state of Sokoto. They have not yet been found, and it is unclear who is behind these kidnappings.
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