According to the military, the children were rescued in the early hours of Sunday through joint efforts with local authorities.
The Nigerian military has disclosed that the abducted students of Lea Primary School and Government Secondary School Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State were rescued in Zamfara State.
Contrary to earlier reports that put the total number of people kidnapped during the incident at 287, the military said a total of 137 students were rescued.
This development comes 17 days after gunmen on motorcycles rode through the school immediately after the morning assembly briefing, taking the students captive.
The incident had attracted attention from various quarters, including the UN children’s welfare agency UNICEF, with an outpouring of outrage and condemnation.
The abductors reportedly demanded ₦1bn while giving a deadline of arch 27, 2024, for the payment of the ransom. But President Bola Tinubu insisted that the government won’t pay a dime to secure the release of the students.
However, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani announced on Sunday that the schoolchildren have been released while remaining silent on whether a ransom was paid to secure their release.
But, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said in a statement that the pupils were rescued in Zamfara State.
He said the collaborative operation with local authorities occurred in the early hours of Sunday, March 24, 2024.
According to the statement, the rescued hostages comprise 76 females and 61 males, with ages between eight and 15.
“It would be recalled that on 7 March 2024, troops received information that terrorists had invaded LEA School Kuriga in Chikun LG of Kaduna State. During the incident unconfirmed number of pupils were abducted. Following the incident, the military committed to leaving no stone unturned until all the hostages were rescued.
“Accordingly, in the early hours of 24 March 2024, the military working with local authorities and government agencies across the country, in a coordinated search and rescue operation rescued the hostages. The hostages are the same persons who were abducted from the school at Kuriga in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State.
“The rescued hostages totalling 137 comprise 76 females and 61 males. They were rescued in Zamfara State and would be conveyed and handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action,” the statement read.
