Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls captured at gunpoint from their boarding school last week have been released, according to authorities.
The students were kidnapped on Friday from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in the town of Jangebe, located in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara State. Authorities initially said 317 girls were abducted, but the figure was later revised to 279 without explanation.
The victims, allegedly snatched from their beds as they slept in the early of hours of the morning, ranged in age from 10 and up.
"Alhamdulillah! (God be praised!) It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students of GGSS Jangebe from captivity," Zamfara state governor Bello Matawalle said in a tweet.
© Sunday AlambaSome of the students who were abducted by gunmen from the Government Girls Secondary School, in Jangebe, last week wait for a medical checkup after their release meeting with the state Governor Bello Matawalle, in Gusau, northern Nigeria, Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
Some of the students who were abducted by gunmen from the Government Girls Secondary School, in Jangebe, last week wait for a medical checkup after their release meeting with the state Governor Bello Matawalle, in Gusau, northern Nigeria, Tuesday, March 2, 2021. (Sunday Alamba/)
"This follows the scaling of several hurdles laid against our efforts. I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe."
The captors are believed to be part of a larger groups of "bandits," notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren across the state in exchange for money or the release of criminals from jail, according to police.
The girls' abduction marks the latest in a string of similar kidnapping cases across Nigeria. At least 42 people abducted from a state-run school last month were released on Saturday, and more than 300 schoolboys were taken and later freed in December.
"We are working hard to bring an end to these grim and heartbreaking incidents of kidnapping. The Military and the Police will continue to go after kidnappers," Matawalle added.
"They need the support of local communities in terms of human intelligence that can help nip criminal plans in the bud."
With News Wire Services