Nigerian army rescues abducted Kaduna students

FILE PHOTO: A boy holds a sign to protest against, what a teacher, local councilor and parents said, the kidnapping of hundreds school pupils by gunmen after the Friday prayer in Kaduna, Nigeria March 8, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) -The Nigerian army on Sunday rescued students and staff who were abducted by gunmen from a school in the country's north earlier this month, the military said, days before the deadline for a ransom payment.

School officials and residents had said 287 students were taken on March 7 in the town of Kuriga in the northwestern state of Kaduna. A military spokesperson said 137 hostages - 76 of them female and 61 male - were rescued in the early hours of Sunday in neighbouring state of Zamfara.