March 24, 2024

The Nigerian army on Sunday rescued students and staff who were abducted by gunmen from Lea Primary School and Government Secondary School Kuriga earlier this month, the military said.

According to the statement, the children were rescued in Zamfara State in the early hours of Sunday, through the joint efforts of the military and local authorities.

The rescued hostages comprise 76 females and 61 males, with ages between eight and 15.

The statement said the rescued students will be handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action.

Military spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said 137 hostages – 76 females and 61 males – were rescued in the early hours of Sunday in neighbouring state of Zamfara.

“In the early hours of 24 March 2024, the military working with local authorities and government agencies across the country in a coordinated search and rescue operation rescued the hostages,” Buba said in a statement.

A security source said earlier the students had been freed in a forest and were being escorted to Kaduna’s capital for medical tests before being reunited with their families.

It was not immediately known whether security forces had to extract the hostages from the hands of their captors or whether there had been any clash in the process.

Kaduna Governor Uba Sani had earlier put the total number of hostages at over 200. Officials were not immediately available to comment on the discrepancy in reported hostage numbers.