130 Nigerian Schoolchildren Freed, Meet Governor After Month as Hostages

More than 130 students and teachers have been freed one month after gunmen kidnapped them from a Catholic school in Nigeria. The group attended a formal ceremony with the governor of Niger state on Monday. They were released on Sunday after weeks in captivity. The mass abduction occurred on March 7 in the town of Kuriga. Armed men stormed the school, seizing hundreds of pupils. This incident was part of a widespread kidnapping crisis in Nigeria's northern regions. Criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, frequently attack villages and schools. They hold victims for ransom payments from families and authorities. The government faces intense pressure to stop these raids and secure citizens' safety. No details were provided about the terms of the children's release. Security forces have increased operations in the area following the abduction.