MINNA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians saw for the first time Monday the release of 130 children and teachers after they were captured in one of the largest kidnappings in the country’s history.
Some children appeared to be malnourished or in a state of shock when they arrived at the government ceremony. Police said they were released on Sunday, a month after militants attacked a Catholic school in the Papiri community of Niger state in a pre-dawn attack.
Authorities said plans were underway to reunite the children with their families before Christmas.
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Authorities earlier said 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were captured, 50 of whom escaped in the hours that followed. But on Monday, Niger state governor Mohammed Bago said 230 people had been captured and all had been released.
School kidnappings have become a source of insecurity in Africa’s most populous country.
Officials did not say whether a ransom was paid, as is common in such kidnappings. No group has claimed responsibility, but residents accuse armed gangs of kidnapping schools and travelers for ransom in Nigeria’s conflict-torn northern region.
The school said most of those arrested in the attack were between the ages of 10 and 17. One of the children released earlier told The Associated Press that the gunman threatened to shoot them during the attack.
Major General Adamu Garba Raka, National Coordinator of the Nigeria Counter-Terrorism Center, said at Monday’s event that Nigeria would work with community leaders to improve security in high-risk areas.
