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Sunday Dare, a spokesman, announced on X that 130 more students abducted in Niger State have been freed, ensuring no children remain in captivity. His post featured a photo of the children, visibly relieved and smiling.
Details on how the children were released were not disclosed by the spokesman.
In November, a group of armed bandits stormed St. Mary’s Private Catholic School, taking 303 students and 12 teachers hostage, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
The abducted children, comprising both boys and girls, included some as young as 10 years old.
Just 48 hours following the incident, 50 of the kidnapped students managed to escape and reunite with their families, as reported by CAN at that time.
Earlier this month, the Nigerian government announced that security forces had rescued 100 of the kidnapped victims.
Dare’s post put the last students being held at 130 – slightly fewer than were thought to remain in captivity.
CNN has reached to the office of the Nigerian President for clarification.
The November abduction was the latest in a wave of attacks by armed groups targeting vulnerable civilian populations, particularly schools, and carrying out mass kidnappings for ransom.
Violence in the country has repeatedly erupted from communal and ethnic tensions, as well as from disputes between farmers and herders over limited access to land and water resources.