The military in Nigeria has successfully freed students and faculty members who were taken by armed individuals from a school in the northern part of the country earlier this month, the armed forces reported. This occurred just before the ransom payment deadline.
On March 7th, 287 students were reportedly abducted in the town of Kuriga, located in the northwestern state of Kaduna. According to a representative from the military, 137 hostages, consisting of 76 females and 61 males, were successfully rescued in the early hours of Sunday in the nearby state of Zamfara.
“On March 24, 2024 during the early morning hours, a coordinated search and rescue effort involving the military, local authorities, and government agencies successfully rescued the hostages,” stated Maj Gen Edward Buba.
According to a source in security, the students were released in a wooded area and are currently being transported to the capital of Kaduna for medical examinations, after which they will be reunited with their loved ones.
Earlier, Kaduna’s governor Uba Sani stated that over 200 people were kidnapped. However, due to conflicting reported numbers, it was uncertain if any hostages were still held by the abductors. A few Kuriga leaders claimed that Sani assured them that all hostages had been released.
According to Jibrin Aminu, a representative for the parents in Kuriga, he will provide updated numbers on Monday after families have had the opportunity to account for their children who were kidnapped.
The rescue occurred prior to the designated deadline for a 1 billion naira (£548,000) ransom in exchange for their freedom.
The kidnapping of students at schools in Nigeria was initially performed by Boko Haram, an extremist organization. They took 276 students from a girls’ school in Chibok, located in the north-eastern state of Borno, ten years ago. Unfortunately, some of these girls have still not been rescued.
Afterwards, this strategy has been taken up by criminal groups with no specific beliefs. Abductions by criminal gangs requesting payment as ransom have become a frequent happening, particularly in the northern region of Nigeria. This has resulted in families and communities being forced to sell off land, livestock and resources in order to free their family members.
Source: theguardian.com
