Nigerian schoolchildren reunited with families
More than 130 Nigerian schoolchildren freed following a mass kidnapping have been reunited with their families and were expected to return home yesterday, a state governor’s spokesman told reporters.
Gunmen abducted the children from their school in northwestern Kuriga village on March 7, prompting a national outcry about insecurity in the country.
Officials said that 137 students were released unharmed on Sunday and taken to Kaduna city for health checks.
They met their relatives at an event hosted by Kaduna Governor Uba Sani on Wednesday, his spokesman said.
“Emotions were very high,” spokesman Muhammad Shehu said in a statement.
All of the released children in Kaduna had met relatives, he said.
He confirmed they were set to return home with their families later yesterday.
The authorities have said an adult abducted with the children died in captivity and six of the pupils were treated in hospital earlier this week for injuries received while held for ransom by the gunmen.
Teachers and locals previously said that about 280 pupils were kidnapped, but the army said the 137 released represented “all the captives.”
Discrepancies between the number of people kidnapped and released are common in Nigeria due to unclear early reports and the return of those who go missing while fleeing attacks.
However, it was still not clear why there was such a large difference between the figures.
Troops had been searching forests for the pupils and relatives said the kidnappers demanded a large ransom, but Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has insisted he ordered security forces not to pay them.