In Nigeria, about 140 students kidnapped by armed men in early March have been freed.

About 140 students abducted by gunmen from a school in northwest Nigeria in early March have been freed, the military and local authorities announced on Sunday, March 24.

“The 137 hostages – 76 girls and 61 boys – were released in Zamfara State and will be handed over to the Kaduna State Government”, where they were abducted, army spokesman General Edward Buba said. According to Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, “Kuriga School Students Kidnapping” were found “Safe and sound”.

General Buba told Agence France-Presse that all the hostage students had been rescued. The number of victims was earlier estimated at 250 by teachers and villagers. However, figures for the return home of villagers who fled but were not victims of attacks in Nigeria are often revised downwards.

According to press reports, the children, aged between 8 and 15, were abducted on March 7 by armed men who attacked their school in the village of Kuriga in the northwest of the country.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on March 13 ordered security forces not to pay a ransom for their release. According to the relatives of the victim, the kidnappers demanded a huge amount of money.

Hundreds of school children and students have been abducted across the country, including in Kaduna State, despite a law introduced in 2022 to ban the handing over of money to kidnappers.

Mass kidnapping, a big problem

Kidnapping victims are usually released shortly after negotiations with local authorities, although state officials still deny a ransom has been paid. It is common for families and entire villages to pool their savings to pay the ransom, as they feel they have no choice.

Mass kidnapping and ransom demands for the release of abductees is a major problem and affects the entire continent’s most populous country. In the past, heavily armed criminal gangs have targeted schools, particularly in the north-west of the country.

In February 2021, armed men attacked a girls’ school in Jangebe area of ​​Zamfara (North) state, abducting over 300 people. In March, more than 100 women were reported missing in northeastern Nigeria, abducted by jihadists. Many victims of mass kidnapping remain missing.