More than 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen in Kuriga, northwestern Nigeria, earlier this month were released unharmed on Sunday, officials and the army said.
The mass kidnapping in Kuriga, Kaduna State, on March 7 was one of the biggest attacks on a school since 2021 and sparked a national outcry over insecurity.
Government spokesman Abdulaziz Abdulaziz told Al Jazeera on Sunday, March 24, that it “took a lot of backchannel engagement” to release the students abducted.
“[All] of them were released and all of them were fine,” he said, giving the official number of freed students at 137—much lower than the figure of 286 students and one staff member in most media reports.
He claimed the media reports were wrong but did not give further details.
Earlier, Uba Sani, governor of the northwestern state of Kaduna, said in a statement that the hostages were freed after “security operations” coordinated by the country’s national security adviser.
“We also thank all Nigerians who prayed fervently for the safe return of the schoolchildren. This is indeed a day of joy,” the governor said.
In the name of Allah the Beneficient, the Most Merciful, I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released.
Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for prioritizing the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly… pic.twitter.com/yGauTZt9BN
— Senator Uba Sani (@ubasanius) March 24, 2024
“The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities,” the statement added.
Kemi Okenyodo, executive director at Partners West Africa-Nigeria, an NGO, voiced concerns about the discrepancies in the number of pupils abducted and those reportedly freed.
“There was not a proper audit of the community to know how many children were kidnapped,” Kemi told the global broadcaster.
She underscored that schools in small towns are not set up like they are in major cities, with a fluid number of children coming to classes depending on the time of the day.
However, she maintained that “no matter the situation, there ought to have been a proper audit.”
1 billion naira ransom
The Kaduna gunmen last week demanded a total of 1 billion naira ($680,000) for the release of the children and staff and vowed to kill the victims if the payments were not made within 20 days.
But Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said he would “not pay a dime” after the practice was outlawed in 2022 in a bid to clamp down on the attackers. Ransom payers face a 15-year sentence.
Okenyodo said that some form of negotiation had likely taken place between the government and the gunmen.
She stressed that “those responsible in this incident must be held accountable to end the widespread practice of kidnappings.”
“It’s not enough to have the children back home for us,” Okenyodo said. “To see a total end to these atrocities, to these criminal activities, people need to be held responsible, the systems need to be held accountable.”
Abductions at Nigerian schools were first carried out by the armed group Boko Haram, which seized 276 students from a girls’ school in Chibok in northeastern Borno State in 2014.
Some of the girls have never been released, with most of them forcefully married to the fighters, according to reports.