More than 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen in northwestern Nigeria earlier this month were released unharmed yesterday, days before a deadline to pay a nearly US$681,000 ransom, officials and the army said.
The mass abduction in Kuriga, Kaduna State, on March 7 was one of the biggest attacks on a school in years and sparked a national outcry over insecurity.
The army said the hostages were freed in the early hours during a rescue operation.
Photo: AFP
Military spokesman Major General Edward Buba shared photographs of children wearing dust-coated uniforms in buses.
“The rescued hostages totaling 137 comprise of 76 females and 61 males. They were rescued in Zamfara State and would be conveyed and handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action,” he said.
Teachers and residents previously said that about 280 pupils between the ages of eight and 15 were kidnapped when armed criminals known in Nigeria as bandits stormed the school on motorbikes.
Discrepancies between the number of people kidnapped and released are common in Nigeria due to unclear early reports and the return of those who go missing while fleeing attacks.
However, it was not clear why there was such a large difference between the figures this time.
Buba said that “all the captives had been rescued.”
He added that no troops had been wounded, but did not comment further, citing what he called the “ongoing operation.”
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the news and the “tireless dedication” of those who helped secure the children’s release.
Gangs routinely attack communities, loot villages and carry out mass kidnappings for ransom in northwest and northcentral Nigeria.
The gangs have targeted schools and colleges in the past, but there had been a lull in these attacks before the Kuriga abductions.
Last week, the gunmen demanded 1 billion naira (US$680,735) for the release of the missing children and staff. The government had said it would not pay the ransom.
Kidnap victims in Nigeria are often freed following negotiations with the authorities, although a 2022 law banned handing over money to kidnappers and officials deny ransom payments are made.
“The abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed,” Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani said in a statement that did not specify how they were freed.
“This is indeed a day of joy,” he said, thanking “all Nigerians who prayed fervently for the safe return of the school children.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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