ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — about 300 Kidnapping of Nigerian schoolchildren Local officials made the announcement Sunday, more than two weeks after children in the northwestern state of Kaduna were captured from school and marched into the forest.
At least 1,400 students Hundreds of schoolgirls have been kidnapped from schools in Nigeria since Boko Haram militants abducted them from Borno state in 2014. Chibok village in 2014. In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the northwestern and central regions of the country, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and tourists for ransom.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani did not provide details on the release of the 287 students, at least 100 of them under the age of 12, who were abducted from a school in the remote town of Kuriga on March 7. In his statement, he thanked Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu “for specifically ensuring the unharmed release of the abducted school children.”
Tinubu had vowed to rescue the children “without paying a dime” in ransom. However, in kidnapping cases, ransoms are often arranged by families, and it is rare for Nigerian authorities to approve payments.
Local residents have claimed responsibility for the Kaduna kidnappings, but no group has claimed responsibility. bandits It is known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the war-torn northern region, most of them former nomads in conflict with settled communities.
At least two people familiar with the security crisis in northwestern Nigeria told The Associated Press. The identity of the kidnapper is known..
Murtala Ahmed Rufai, professor of peace and conflict studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, and Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a cleric who negotiated with the bandits, said the bandits are hiding in the region's vast and unmanaged forests. he said.
Arrests in Nigeria's mass kidnappings are rare, and victims are usually released only after desperate families pay ransoms or through deals with government and security services.
The Governor of Kaduna expressed his gratitude to the Nigerian security forces for the release of the students. “I spent sleepless nights with National Security Adviser Mar. Nuhu Ribadu fine-tuned the strategy, adjusted the operations of the security agencies and ultimately achieved such success. ” he said.
