Abducted students from Nigerian school have been freed

Students, teachers and relatives who were abducted two weeks ago from a school in northern Nigeria have been freed.

Students, teachers and family members were kidnapped on February 17 by gunmen from Government Science College verge.

Niger State Government Abubakar Sani Bello said that after being released in the early hours of Saturday, he received 24 students, six employees and eight relatives on Saturday.

The number released differs from the 42 people the governor had originally abducted by the attackers, indicating that some may still be missing. The discrepancy was not explained.

One of the students has been hospitalized for extreme exhaustion.

Sani Bello said that the joint efforts of security, traditional leaders and stakeholders helped secure the release.

The gunfight was announced a day after the gunmen kidnapped 317 girls from another boarding school in northern Nigeria. A resident said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and outpost, to prevent soldiers from mass kidnapping.

Many armed men work in the state of Zamfara described by the government as bandits, and are known for kidnapping for money and pushing for the release of their members from prison.

20-year-old Masouda Umar managed to escape from school on Friday when the men arrived.

He reported that the bandits of the Associated Press came to their sleeping quarters and after knocking on the main door, they hit the people who answered it and gathered everyone.

“I was coming out the door and I met someone but ran back and hid under my bed,” she said. “I am afraid to go to school because what really happened scared me but if the government faces insecurity I will go back.”

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said that the primary objective of the government on Friday is to return all school hostages safe, alive and deported.

“We will not succumb to blackmail by bandits and criminals who target innocent school students in the hope of paying a huge ransom,” he said. “Do not entertain the bandits, kidnappers and terrorists under any illusion that they are more powerful than the government.”

Nigeria has witnessed many such attacks and kidnappings over the years, most notably the April 2014 mass kidnapping by Boko Haram, a jihadist group of 276 girls from secondary school in Chibok, Borno State. More than a hundred girls are still missing.

In December, 344 students were abducted from Government Science Secondary School Kakara in Katsina State. He was eventually released.