Niger State witnessed the sensational reunion of 100 school children with their families after nearly three weeks in the hands of ruthless kidnappers. The dramatic homecoming at the Niger State Government House was filled with tears, applause, and a media frenzy, as officials rushed to take credit for the partial rescue.

President Bola Tinubu wasted no time issuing a directive to security agencies, demanding they ramp up efforts to free the remaining 115 pupils and their teachers. The President’s statement, delivered through his Special Adviser, signaled the government’s “unwavering commitment” to ending Nigeria’s epidemic of school kidnappings, but offered little in the way of specifics on how this would be achieved.

The saga began when gunmen stormed St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara, snatching a shocking 227 students and 12 teachers, according to the school’s proprietor Rev Bulus Yohanna. Initial numbers floated by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) placed the missing figures even higher, at 303. Authorities have since scrambled to reconcile the ever-changing statistics as public pressure mounts.

Local government officials, church leaders, and security operatives converged at the handover ceremony, capitalizing on the emotional atmosphere. Governor Mohammed Bago, the day’s chief performer, showered praise on President Tinubu, security agencies, and international partners like UNICEF, vowing that efforts to free the remaining captives would not relent. “We wish to recover the other students who are still in captivity. And by the grace of God, in a very short time from now, we are going to recover them, Insha Allah,” he declared to thunderous applause.

Scenes of exhausted, malnourished children, most between five and ten years old, dominated coverage. Officials paraded the children for cameras, promising thorough medical checks before their return home, while glossing over criticism about why the abductions could not have been prevented in the first place.

President Tinubu’s statement lauded the security agencies’ “steadfast work,” reiterating the administration’s standard line: “We must account for all the victims.” The President pledged tighter security for schools and a crackdown on “heartless terrorists,” but observers say such promises have been made,and broken,many times before.

This latest kidnapping is just one in a long and troubling line of mass abductions plaguing Nigeria’s schools since the infamous 2014 Chibok girls’ case. Despite repeated government pledges, the attacks persist, with Niger State among the hardest hit. High-profile abductions in Kagara and other states like Kebbi and Kwara have done little to prompt lasting change.

In a move designed to demonstrate action, President Tinubu declared a security emergency, instructing service chiefs to coordinate with state governors. Yet, critics argue such declarations are often more performative than practical, with families of the missing left to wait and hope.

The return of the 100 children coincided with massive displays of communal prayer and fasting, as CAN organized statewide spiritual exercises in a bid to pressure authorities and inspire hope. The spectacle capped days of headlines and social media campaigns, but for the 115 children and 12 teachers still in captivity, their ordeal drags on with no clear end in sight.