Kidnappers ‘release’ almost 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria

Some of the girls taken by an armed gang were as young as 10

A soldiers stands next to a group of girls previously kidnapped from their boarding school in Zamfara state (AFP via Getty Images)

Gunmen have freed all 279 girls abducted from a boarding school last week, the governor of Zamfara state in Nigeria has said.

The girls were taken on Friday from Government Girls Junior Secondary School (GGSS) in Jangebe town. Initial reports suggested that 317 girls were taken from the school by an armed gang.

Several managed to escape into the bush at the time of the kidnapping, while the rest of the girls were freed on Tuesday morning.

According to reports, hundreds of girls wearing blue hijabs were seen sitting at the state Government House office in Gusau. Some were as young as 10-years-old but appeared calm as they were escorted to vans.

The governor of Zamfara state Bello Matawalle shared a post on Twitter saying: “Alhamdulillah! [God be praised] 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.”

When the mass abduction took place, the gunmen also attacked a military camp and checkpoint close to the school –preventing soldiers from initially responding to the kidnapping, Associated Press reported. However, the military and police have since carried out a rescue operation.

The African nation has been the target of several attacks and kidnappings in recent years, including by jihadist group Boko Haram, which is opposed to western education.

Recent mass abductions have included six staff and eight relatives who were abducted from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger state on 17 February. They have since been released. 

In December, more than 300 boys from a secondary school in Kankara, in the northwestern part of the country, were taken but later freed.

In the country’s most notorious kidnapping, 276 girls were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014, which led to a campaign being launched for their release by then US first lady, Michelle Obama. More than 100 of them have not been seen since.

Armed groups, known locally as bandits, often abduct students for a ransom.

Last week president Muhammadu Buhari said the Nigeran government would not “succumb to blackmail by bandits and criminals who target innocent school students in expectation of huge ransom payments”.

He called on state governments to follow suit and review their policy of making payments to the bandits in order to secure the release of schoolchildren as it “might boomerang disastrously”.

Experts have warned that with no punishment, kidnappings such as this may continue to happen.