At least 137 of nearly 300 Nigerian children abducted more than two weeks ago from their school in the northwestern state of Kaduna were released on Sunday, the West African nation's military said. An earlier statement from the government suggested that all the students were freed, the AP reports. Motorcycle-riding gunmen invaded the Kuriga school on March 7 and marched the children into the forests before security forces could arrive, as terrified families watched helplessly. School authorities said a total of 287 students were kidnapped, at least 100 of them 12 or younger.
At least 1,400 students have been kidnapped from Nigerian schools since 2014, when Boko Haram militants seized hundreds of schoolgirls from Borno state's Chibok village. In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the northwestern and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travelers for ransom. The 137 children were rescued in Zamfara state, more than 124 miles from their school, a Nigerian military spokesman said in a statement. "Efforts would continue until other hostages are found and the terrorists arrested, tried, and brought to justice by Nigerian law," he said.
Under growing pressure to end the mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu promised his administration is "deploying detailed strategies to ensure that our schools remain safe sanctuaries of learning, not lairs for wanton abductions." 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, per the AP. Arrests are rare in Nigeria's mass kidnappings, as victims are usually released only after desperate families pay ransoms or through deals with government and security officials.
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