On December 22, Nigeran authorities said more than 130 students kidnapped by gunmen from a school earlier this month had been released safely, just days before the ransom demand deadline.
Government spokesman Abdulaziz Abdulaziz confirmed on December 21 that rescuing the kidnapped students in Kuriga town, Kaduna state requited a lot of behind-the-scenes contact.
According to Abdulaziz, all of them were rescued and are all in good shape. He stressed that the official figure is 137 students, significantly lower than previously reported that 286 students and one employee were kidnapped. The spokesperson affirmed that the previously circulating figures were inaccurate, but did not provide further details.
Earlier in the same day, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani said the hostages had been released after security campaigns coordinated by the National Security Advisor of Nigeria. Mr. Sani expressed his gratitude to the people of Nigeria for praying for the safe return of the students.
Ms. Kemi Okenyodo - CEO of Partners West Africa - Nigeria - commented that the gap between the number of students reported as kidnapped and the number reported as released shows that the initial community counting is not complete. She said that in small towns, the school system is not as tightly organized as in large cities, the number of students coming to class can change at different times of the day. However, she emphasized the need to conduct a full count in all circumstances to accurately determine the number of people affected.
kidnappings of students in Nigeria by armed groups are still common. On March 9, 15 students were kidnapped at a school in Sokoto state. As of March 18, at least 87 people, including women, were detained in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state. In recent years, incidents have been concentrated mainly in the Northwest and Central regions of Nigeria, where many armed groups often target villagers and passersby to demand ransom, forcing families and communities to sell property or call for donations to save relatives.
