Nearly 300 Nigerian schoolchildren released by kidnappers after two-week ordeal

Dozens of armed groups operate in north-western and central Nigeria, targeting villagers and travellers for ransom

Parents wait for news about the kidnapped LEA Primary and Secondary School Kuriga students in Kuriga, Kaduna, Nigeria, on March 9, 2024 (AP)

Nearly 300 kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren have been freed more than two weeks after they were seized from a school in the north-western state of Kaduna, local officials have said.

Kaduna state governor Uba Sani did not give details of the release of the 287 students, who were taken from their school in the remote town of Kuriga on 7 March.

In a statement, Mr Sani thanked Nigerian president Bola Tinubu for “particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga schoolchildren are released unharmed”.

Mr Tinubu had vowed to rescue the children “without paying a dime” as ransom.

Abductions of students from schools in northern Nigeria are common and have been a major source of concern since 2014 when Islamic extremists kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Borno state’s Chibok village.

In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the country’s north-western and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travellers for ransom.