Nigeria’s government said Friday that the Nigerian military has rescued 46 children kidnapped by Islamic militants.
The kidnappings took place about two months ago at three schools in the town of Orire, in south-western Oyo state.
The raids on schools became a serious social issue in the farming communities of Esiale and Yawota and sparked protests and a month-long statewide teachers’ strike.
President Bola Tinubu, in a statement, said, “I am extremely pleased that our security forces today successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Orire, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, following a military, police and intelligence-driven operation which neutralised, killed some of the terrorists and led to the arrest of eight of them.”
Tinubu said no “concessions” were given to the terrorists and no ransom was paid.
He blamed the kidnapping on the Ansaru terrorist group, which is an offshoot of Boko Haram.
A Nigerian government spokesman said that several militants were killed and eight were arrested in the operation to rescue the students.
Oyo officials said one teacher was killed in captivity.
Nigerian media reported that a teacher was killed during the initial kidnapping raid.
What is the security situation in Nigeria?
Terrorist groups and gangs in Nigeria have increased kidnappings for ransom in recent years, usually targeting schools.
Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde said, “Our priority now is to ensure that they are reunited with their families.”
More than 40 other children – some as young as 2 – were taken from their schools in northeastern Borno state on the same day as the Oyo abduction. They are still in captivity.
Such attacks are more common in the north than in the south-west of the country.
The most notorious mass kidnapping in Nigeria occurred in April 2014, when the Boko Haram Islamic terrorist group abducted 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok, in the northeast. About 90 girls are still missing.
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Edited by: Shawn Sinico