137 kidnapped Kaduna students freed

The students kidnapped from their schools in Kuriga, Kaduna state, have been released by their abductors, the state governor said on Sunday morning.

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, a media aide to President Bola Tinubu, said in a Facebook post that “all the 137 abducted school children” were freed.

The students were “unharmed,” Governor Uba Sani said in a statement.

“Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for prioritising the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed,” Sani said.

“While the school children were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times. He shared our pains, comforted us, and worked round the clock with us to ensure the safe return of the children.”

“The rescued hostages totalling 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,” said army spokesman Major General Edward Buba.

Gunmen attacked the LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School, both in Kuriga, on March 7 and kidnapped the students, according to officials.

At least one person was shot dead during the attack, residents said.

Governor Sani was mum on how the students were freed and if a ransom was paid to their kidnappers.

But he praised the Nigerian Army “for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities.”

Kidnap-for-ransom is rampant in Nigeria’s northwest region where the schools are located.

The early morning attack was the second mass kidnapping in about two weeks in the wider northern region, illustrating the task faced by President Bola Tinubu, who has promised to improve security since coming to office in May.

He ordered troops to rescue the students two days after they were snatched from their schools.

A week before the students were kidnapped, Islamist militants also kidnapped as many as 200, mostly women and children, from a camp for people displaced by jihadist conflict in northeast Borno State.

Officials gave conflicting figures for the number of the missing people in that attack.

Sani had earlier said security forces were working with state officials to rescue the Kuriga students.

No group claimed any responsibility, but residents blamed bandits, the gangs that raid villages to loot and carry out mass abductions for ransom, especially in the northwestern states.

UN child welfare agency UNICEF has called on the government to do better at protecting schools in Nigeria, where hundreds of pupils have been kidnapped in the last three years.

Most were released after weeks or months in camps hidden in forests following negotiations and ransom payments.

AFP contributed to this report.