Over 280 Nigerian students kidnapped by gunmen freed

Reports from officials indicate that more than 280 children in Nigeria who were kidnapped from the town of Kuriga, have been released unharmed.

The governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani, didn’t say what happened when the kidnapped people were set free. This happened a few days before the kidnappers wanted money.

A group of kids, aged eight to 15, and one teacher were taken by force on March 7th.

Criminal groups called bandits have taken thousands of people captive in the past few years, especially in the north-west.

But, there were fewer children being kidnapped last year until this week.

This time, the people who took someone wanted $690,000 (£548,000) as a payment to let the person go. The government said it will not give any money to set someone free.

Governor Sani thanked President Bola Tinubu for making sure that the kidnapped Kuriga schoolchildren were set free without getting hurt.

Mr Sani said that the Nigerian Army did a great job in showing that they have the courage, determination, and commitment to fight criminal activity and make our communities safe again.

The big kidnapping happened on March 7th in the morning while students were all together for a school meeting.

Witnesses saw some students in the school yard around 8:30am when a lot of gunmen on motorcycles came through the school. They took away 187 students from the high school and 125 from the nearby elementary school. Twenty-five people came back later.

A 14-year-old student was shot and killed by the gunmen.

Many kidnappings in north-west Nigeria, like in Kaduna state, are thought to be done by criminals who want to get money from ransom.

In 2022, a law was passed in Nigeria to try to stop the growing problem of kidnapping. The law made it illegal to pay kidnappers ransom money. The punishment is being in jail for at least 15 years, but no one has ever been caught.

Earlier this year, a family in Abuja said the police were wrong when they claimed to have rescued their kidnapped daughters. The family had to pay a ransom to get the girls back.

Many people around the world were very angry when Boko Haram kidnapped almost 300 girls in the town of Chibok in Nigeria in 2014.

Most of the people who were taken have been released or got away, but there are still many people who are missing.