Nearly 300 Abducted Schoolchildren in Nigeria Freed

Nearly 300 schoolchildren and staff abducted by gunmen from their school in northwest Nigeria’s Kaduna state have been released, the state governor said Sunday, more than two weeks after the children were seized from their school.
Kaduna Gov. Uba Sani did not give details of the release of the 287 students abducted on Mar. 7 from their school in Kaduna’s remote Kuriga town. In a statement, he thanked Nigerian President Bola Tinubu “particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed.”
“The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities,” Sani said.
The gunmen had last week demanded a total of 1 billion naira ($690,000) for the release of the missing children and staff.
The government had said it would not pay any ransom, after the practice was outlawed in 2022.
Abductions of students from schools in northern Nigeria are common and have been a major source of concern since 2014, when extremists kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls in 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.