Nigeria school kidnappings: 'Relief' as 44 abducted children and teachers freed

Nigeria’s school kidnappings drew renewed attention after the Nigerian army said it freed all 44 pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo state two months earlier. The operation focused on three schools in the Osiire district—Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School, and Community Grammar School—after the abductions on 15 May by gunmen. In a statement issued Friday evening, army spokesman Danjuma Jonah Danjuma said some of the captors were arrested and that several soldiers died during the rescue mission. Families and a local teachers’ union told the BBC they felt relief, but said the ordeal remained harrowing and reunion had not yet occurred. The captives are receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital and will return home later. The incident follows a broader recent rise in mass kidnappings ahead of next year’s general election, with debate over the effectiveness of the Safe School Initiative and security funding.