- 287 kids and staff members were kidnapped by gunmen from a school in the northern part.
- The first mass kidnapping in Africa since more than 150 students were abducted from a Kaduna high school in 2021.
- In northern Nigeria, kidnappings by criminal groups seeking ransom have increased nearly daily.
Days, before they were supposed to pay a $690,000 ransom, 287 kids and staff members, were kidnapped by gunmen from a school in the northern part of the country.
The Nigerian army responded by saving them. The first mass kidnapping in Africa since more than 150 students were abducted from a Kaduna high school in 2021 happened on March 7 in the arid hamlet of Kuriga.
Students kidnapped
137 hostages, 61 of whom were men and 76 of whom were women, were freed from Zamfara by the military, which collaborated with regional authorities and national government organizations.
After being let free in the wilderness, the pupils were taken to the capital of Kaduna for medical examinations and then returned to their families. Although the exact number of captives is unknown at this time, some have never been freed.
Ten years ago, the Islamist group Boko Haram began carrying out kidnappings at Nigerian schools; since then, criminal gangs have started using the approach. Although the practice was banned in 2022, the government has stated that it will not pay any ransom.
Particularly in northern Nigeria, kidnappings by criminal groups seeking ransom have increased nearly daily, shattering families and communities as they must pool money to pay ransom.
