The Nigerian schoolgirls abducted last week from a boarding school in the northwestern Zamfara state have been released after talks with the government, the state’s governor said Tuesday.
Zamfara state governor Bello Matawalle announced that 279 kidnapped girls, who were abducted from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe town on Friday have been freed, AFP reported.
This had been the third mass-kidnapping in Nigeria in less than three months. The government officials had been in talks with the kidnappers, also known as bandits. Instances of mass kidnapping by criminal gangs in Nigeria have gone up in recent times. Most of these instances end in payment of ransom and ‘peace agreements’.
The attacks have continued despite several Air Force raids and army operations. “Alhamdulillah! It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students of GGSS Jangebe from captivity. 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,” Matawalle wrote on Twitter.
On February 17, 24 students, six staff and eight relatives were abducted from the Government Science college Kagara in Niger state; they were released on February 27.
