Nigerian army rescues nearly 300 abducted students in northwest Kaduna
Nearly 300 Nigerian schoolchildren were released more than two weeks after they were seized in the northwestern state of Kaduna and marched into the forests, officials said Sunday.
At least 1,400 students have been kidnapped from Nigerian schools since 2014, when Boko Haram militants kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls from Borno state’s Chibok village. In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the country’s northwestern and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travelers for ransom.
At least 17 other schoolchildren in northern Sokoto state were also rescued two weeks after they were taken hostage, according to a statement issued Saturday by the Sokoto state government. The statement suggested that the rescue operation, like that of the Kaduna students, was coordinated by the office of Nigeria’s national security adviser.
Kaduna state Gov. Uba Sani did not give details of the release of the 287 students abducted from their school in the remote town of Kuriga on March 7. At least 100 of them are aged 12 or younger.
In a statement, he thanked Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for particularly ensuring that the abducted school children are released unharmed.
Tinubu had vowed to rescue the children without paying a dime as ransom. But ransoms are commonly paid for kidnappings, often arranged by families, and it is rare for officials in Nigeria to admit to the payments.
No group has claimed responsibility for the Kaduna kidnapping, which locals have blamed on bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the conflict-battered northern region, most of them former herders in conflict with settled communities.
