Maiduguri: Gunmen in Nigeria on Saturday released 27 teenage boys who were kidnapped from their school last week in the northern state of Niger, while security forces continued to search for more than 300 schoolgirls abducted in a nearby state.
Schools have become targets for mass kidnappings for ransom in northern Nigeria by armed groups, many of whom carry guns and ride motorcycles.
An empty classroom following an attack by gunmen at Government Science College, Kagara, Nigeria, earlier this month. Credit:
On February 17, an armed gang stormed the Government Science secondary school in the Kagara district of Niger state, and abducted 27 students, three staff and 12 members of their families. One boy was killed during the raid.
After their release, boys were seen by a Reuters witness walking with armed security through a dusty village, some struggling to stand and asking for water. A government official said the boys were aged between 15 and 18.
