Nigeria, Dec. 23 -- When the buses rolled into the Government House in Minna on Monday, silence briefly settled over the compound. Then came tears, prayers and embraces.

The remaining 130 schoolchildren and teachers abducted from St. Mary's Catholic School, Papiri, were finally home.

For weeks, their absence had hung heavily over Nigeria and their families and community in Niger State, turning classrooms into painful reminders of fear and uncertainty.

Governor Mohammed Bago received the rescued victims at the Government House, describing their release as a profound relief for the state and the families who had lived in anguish since the night armed men stormed the Catholic school in Papiri.

"This is very touchy," the governor said, no...