Over 100 out of nearly 300 kidnapped students in Nigeria rescued after over 2 weeks in captivity
More than 100 out of almost 300 kidnapped students in Nigeria have been rescued after being held captive for over two weeks. This comes after an earlier statement by the Nigerian government claimed that all the students had been freed.
Kidnapping Crisis in Nigeria
In the incident, armed men on motorcycles infiltrated the Kuriga school on March 7 and abducted the students into the forest, before security forces arrived. The families watched in horror as this unfolded. School officials revealed that a total of 287 students were kidnapped in the attack, with at least 100 of them being 12 years old or younger.
Since 2014, at least 1,400 students have been kidnapped from schools in this West African nation, with the extremist group Boko Haram holding hundreds of female students in the village of Chibok, in Borno state. In recent years, kidnappings in Nigeria have been concentrated in the central and northwest regions, where numerous armed groups target local communities and tourists for ransom.
A Nigerian military spokesperson, Brigadier General Edward Buba, stated that 137 children have been rescued in Zamfara state, a region notorious for kidnappings occurring over 200 km away from schools.
Ongoing Efforts and Rescue Operations
General Buba affirmed, “Efforts will continue to be deployed until other hostages are rescued and the terrorists are arrested, prosecuted, and brought to justice under Nigerian law.”
In a separate incident, at least 17 other students in Sokoto state, northern Nigeria, were rescued two weeks after being kidnapped. However, the state government’s statement on March 23 did not provide detailed information on the incident.
Under mounting pressure to end the spate of mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu pledged to “deploy specific strategies to ensure that our schools remain places of learning, safety, and not den of kidnappers.”
President Tinubu vowed to rescue the children “without paying a dime” in ransom. However, ransom payments still occur, usually arranged by families themselves, and rarely acknowledged by Nigerian officials.
Unidentified Kidnapping Group
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in Kaduna state. Local residents have accused notorious criminal groups, known for carrying out mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the conflict-ravaged northern region. Many of them are former herders who clashed with settled communities.
In mass kidnappings, hostage-taking is rare in Nigeria, as victims are usually released after desperate families pay ransoms or through negotiations with the government and security agencies.
This article was written for Business Today, providing the latest financial and economic news.