All 24 schoolgirls captured by attackers following last week’s mass abduction from a school in northwestern Nigeria have been rescued, the country’s president announced Tuesday.
A total of 25 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town in Kebbi state on November 17, but one of them managed to escape the same day, the school principal said. The remaining 24 were rescued, according to a statement by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, although no details about the rescue were released.
“I am relieved that all 24 girls have been located. Now, we must take immediate and more action in sensitive areas to prevent further incidents of kidnapping,” the statement said.
The attack in Kebbi was one of a series of recent mass kidnappings in Nigeria, including Friday’s raid on St. Mary’s School in north-central Niger state, in which more than 300 students and staff of the Catholic school were abducted. Fifty students escaped over the weekend.
Musa Rabie Magaji, principal of a predominantly Muslim school in Kebbi, told The Associated Press that all the girls had been released but were still in the custody of authorities. They had no immediate details about his condition.
Abdulkareem Abdullahi, whose two daughters, aged 12 and 13, were among those abducted, said authorities told him the girls were being taken to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
“I’m excited to hear the news of his freedom. The last few days have been difficult for me and my family, especially his mother,” Abdullahi said in a telephone interview. “I will wait to hear from the government about his well-being, but I can’t wait to see him in good health.”
Meanwhile, 38 worshipers abducted during a deadly church attack in Kwara state in central Nigeria have received their release, Kwara Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq said in a statement on Sunday. Gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku on November 18, killing two and taking others hostage.
No group has claimed responsibility for the recent kidnappings, but analysts and locals say gangs of bandits often target schools, travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings. Gangs have used kidnapping for ransom as a way to dominate remote communities with little government and security presence.
Authorities say the bandits are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities following clashes over lack of resources.
School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous country, and armed gangs often view schools as strategic targets to attract more attention. At least 1,500 students have been captured in Nigeria since the infamous kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls more than a decade ago, and many of the children were released only after ransom was paid.
The kidnappings are coming as US President Donald Trump has claimed that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, although the attacks have affected both Christians and Muslims.
Arrests are rare and ransom payments are common in many hotspots in northern Nigeria.
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