ABUJA: More than 130 schoolchildren adducted by gunmen in northwestern Nigeria earlier this month were freed unharmed on Sunday, officials and the army said.
The mass kidnapping in Kaduna, Kuriga, state on March 7 was one of the largest attacks on a school in years and triggered a national uproar over insecurity.
The military said the hostages were released in the early hours during a rescue operation but did not provide details.
Spokesman Major General Edward Buba also shared photos of children wearing uniforms in buses covered in dust.
He added that the rescued hostages 137 total comprise of 76 females and 61 males. They were rescued in Zamfara state and would be handed over to the Kaduna state government for further action.
Teachers and residents earlier said around 280 students between the ages of eight and 15 were abducted when armed criminals, known in Nigeria as bandits, attacked the school on motorbikes.
Discrepancies between the number of people abducted and freed are common in Nigeria due to unclear early reports and the return of those who go missing while fleeing attacks.
But it was not clear why there was such a large difference between the numbers this time.
He added that no troops had been injured but did not comment further.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the news said those who helped freeing the children.
Tinubu has faced mounting pressure after promising to handle Nigeria’s many security challenges when he came to power last year.
His spokesman added that the president assures Nigerians that his administration is making detailed strategies to ensure that schools of the country remain safe.
Bandit gangs regularly attack communities, loot villages and carry out mass abductions for ransom in northwest and north-central Nigeria.
The gangs have attacked schools and colleges in the past, but there had been a lull in these attacks before the Kuriga kidnappings.
