By Martin Cole-
Over 130 schoolchildren, who were held captive for over two weeks in Nigeria, have finally been rescued and returned to their home state in northwestern Nigeria.
The children were in “high spirits” and were receiving psychological support and medical attention, the governor said.
At least 17 other schoolchildren in northern Sokoto state were also rescued two weeks after they were taken hostage, according to a statement issued Saturday by the Sokoto state government.
Kaduna Gov. Uba Sani told local media late Sunday that 137 young people had been abducted during the attack.
The 137 children were rescued in Zamfara state, an enclave notorious for kidnappings more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) away from their school, Nigerian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said in a statement.
Released pictures by the Nigerian military showed the children looking worn out as they were covered in dust, still wearing their blue-white-and-brown uniforms while being transported following their release.
Some of the children had sore feet suggesting they might have walked long distances in the forests where they were held hostage.
The six children still in hospital will be made available “as soon as the doctors have certified them fit enough,” Maj. Gen. Mayirenso Saraso, a military chief in Kaduna, said while handing them over to the government.
The harrowing ordeal began on March 7 when motorcycle-riding gunmen stormed their school in Kuriga, Kaduna state, triggering a widespread rescue operation that captured international attention.
The children, some as young as 10 years old, were found by the military in a forest approximately 200 kilometers away in neighbouring Zamfara state. The successful rescue operation culminated in their emotional return to Kaduna on Monday, where they are eagerly anticipated to reunite with their families.
Upon their arrival at the Kaduna State Government House, the children were visibly relieved, sporting fresh haircuts and newly sewn clothes and footwear.
These garments marked their first change of clothing since their abduction, highlighting the dire conditions they endured during their captivity.
While the majority of the rescued students were deemed healthy, six remain hospitalized, and tragically, one staff member who was abducted alongside the children lost their life during the ordeal, according to a senior military official.
The exact number of students initially reported missing was initially a subject of discrepancy.
While school authorities initially indicated that 287 students were kidnapped during the attack, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani clarified that only 137 individuals were confirmed to have been seized.
Despite inquiries about the rescue operation and the fate of the kidnappers, Governor Sani emphasized the paramount importance of prioritizing the security of children over politicizing the issue of insecurity in the region.
This incident adds to a disturbing trend of school kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria, particularly in the conflict-battered northwestern and central regions.
Since the notorious abduction of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in Chibok village, Borno state, in 2014, at least 1,400 students have been kidnapped from Nigerian schools.
Armed groups in these regions often target villages and travellers for ransom, instilling fear and instability in communities already grappling with violence and insecurity.
No responsibility has been claimed for the Kaduna kidnapping, which locals have blamed on bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the conflict-battered northern region.
President Bola Tinubu promised his administration is “deploying detailed strategies to ensure that our schools remain safe sanctuaries of learning, not lairs for wanton abductions”.
Nigerian schools, especially in the North, have become a target for kidnappers bent on disrupting normal life.
Schooling in Northern Nigeria now comes at a very high price, with risks of mass kidnapping a serious concern for pupils and parents.