BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaKuriga kidnap: More than 280 Nigerian pupils releasedPublished49 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kidnap gangs have plagued much of the country in recent years, especially the north-westMore than 280 Nigerian pupils abducted in the north-western town of Kuriga earlier this month have been released “unharmed”, officials say. Kaduna state governor Uba Sani did not give details of the release, days before a deadline for ransom demanded by the abductors.The children, aged eight to 15, and one teacher, were abducted on 7 March.Kidnap gangs, known as bandits, have seized thousands of people in recent years, especially in the north-west.However, there had been a reduction in the mass abduction of children over the past year until this week.Those kidnapped are usually freed after a ransom is paid.Schoolboy recounts daring escape from Nigerian kidnap gangThis time, militants had demanded $690,000 (£548,000). The government had said it would not pay any ransom.In his statement, governor Sani praised Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu “for ensuring that the abducted Kuriga schoolchildren are released unharmed”.”The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities,” Mr Sani said.The mass abduction occurred on the morning of 7 March during school assembly.According to witnesses, the pupils were in the assembly ground around 08:30 (07:30 GMT) when dozens of gunmen on motorcycles rode through the school, eventually taking away 187 students from a secondary school and 125 from the local primary school. Twenty-five later returned.One pupil, believed to be 14-years-old, died after being shot by the gunmen.Most of the kidnaps in north-west Nigeria, including Kaduna state, are believed to be the work of criminal gangs trying to make money from ransoms.In an attempt to curb Nigeria’s spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a controversial law that made it a crime to make ransom payments was passed in 2022. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested.Earlier this year, the family of a group of sisters kidnapped in the capital, Abuja, denied a police statement that the security forces had rescued the girls, saying that they had no choice but to pay the ransom.There was global outrage when Islamists seized nearly 300 girls in Nigeria’s north-eastern town of Chibok in 2014.Most of the victims have either been freed or escaped since then, but dozens remain unaccounted for.You may also be interested in: What in the World Podcast: Nigeria’s kidnap crisisThe motorcycle bandits terrorising northern Nigeria’Why I returned to Boko Haram and how I escaped”How I survived my train hijacking’Kidnapping and debt: A Nigerian legacyRelated TopicsNigeriaMore on this storySchoolboy recounts daring escape from Nigerian kidnap gangPublished12 MarchAround the BBCFocus on Africa podcastsTop StoriesWilliam and Kate ‘enormously touched’ by public supportPublished31 minutes agoFour suspected gunmen arrested after 133 killed in Moscow attackPublished7 hours agoBBC Verify examines how Moscow attack unfolded. VideoBBC Verify examines how Moscow attack unfoldedPublished13 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: Kate ‘reassures nation’ and ‘murderous’ Moscow attackThe Brazilian teen who scored winner against EnglandAttributionSportBBC Verify examines how the Moscow attack unfolded. VideoBBC Verify examines how the Moscow attack unfoldedBullets, a crush and panic: Moscow concert that became a massacreKate cancer diagnosis rewrites story of past weeksWhat Kate video tells us about royal strategy‘Having a certificate of loss proves my baby existed’Your pictures on the theme of ‘reflections’England kits ‘should connect people’Elsewhere on the BBCWhy do people behave the way they do on social media?Marianna Spring investigates extraordinary cases of online hate to find out…AttributioniPlayerCritically acclaimed and utterly compelling…Masterful, claustrophobic drama starring Sofie Gråbøl as a troubled prison guardAttributioniPlayerFrom triumph to tragedy…After more than 30 years of service, America’s space shuttle took to the skies for the last timeAttributioniPlayerCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerMost Read1The man in the iron lung: How Paul Alexander lived life to the full2Newspaper headlines: Kate ‘reassures nation’ and ‘murderous’ Moscow attack3William and Kate ‘touched’ by public support4Pilgrimage helped Traitors star Amanda say ‘goodbye mum’5Kyiv hit by multiple blasts as Russia strikes Ukraine6Gunmen arrested after Moscow attack, says Putin7How jealous K-pop super fans try to dictate their idols’ private lives8’A brutal and timely reminder of England’s problems’AttributionSport9Sainz wins Australia after Verstappen retiresAttributionSport10Harris set to become new Fine Gael leader later

• newsinsightplus.com
Blog
• March 24, 2024
• 0 Comments