Schoolgirls’ kidnapper is jailed for 15 years

A man involved in the 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok in north-east Nigeria has been jailed for 15 years.

The conviction of Haruna Yahaya, 35, is the first in relation to the mass abduction, which led to a worldwide campaign for the girls’ release.

A total of 276 students were seized from the Government Girls Secondary School in April 14 2014. Fifty-seven escaped in the immediate aftermath. Since May 2016, a further 107 have escaped, been found or released, leaving 112 still in captivity.