Lagos, Nigeria (AFP) – Armed men have released 15 more students who had been kidnapped from their school in northern Nigeria last month, authorities said on Sunday. It is believed that the kidnappers are still holding 65 other students.
John Hyab, head of the Nigerian Christian Association in Kaduna State, whose son is attending the same school where the hostages were taken, said the students were released on Saturday night.
Samuel Arwan, Kaduna State Commissioner for Homeland Security and Local Affairs, told the Associated Press that the government had already been informed of the release.
Arwan did not provide additional details, but the local press earlier reported that the militants demanded a ransom of 500,000 naira ($1,220) for each student.
The perpetrators kidnapped students from Bethel Baptist High School in the town of Al-Damishi on July 5. The kidnappers had earlier released 28 hostages and then released 34 others.
As the parents of the released young men celebrated, hundreds of others waited for news of their children.
Since December, more than 1,000 students have been forcibly removed from their schools in six states in northern Nigeria, according to tally figures released by the Associated Press and previously confirmed by police.
And although most of the hostages have been released, some are still in the hands of their captors. The kidnappings have forced some state governments to temporarily close schools.
The kidnappers, known locally as bandits, often target schools in remote areas that do not have a proper security presence.
Source: Associated Press
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