28 schoolchildren escape captors in Nigeria

At least 28 schoolchildren out of nearly 300 who were kidnapped by gunmen have managed to escape their captors, according to Nigeria's Kaduna state governor speaking to BBC News. 

The abduction occurred in the northern town of Kuriga on Thursday, marking the largest mass abduction from a school since 2021.

Nigeria's army, alongside police and local search teams, is leading a frantic search operation to locate and rescue the remaining children. Troops are scouring the forests within Kaduna and neighboring states in a concerted effort to bring the perpetrators to justice and secure the safe return of the abducted children.

The assailants, described as motorcycle-riding armed men, targeted primary and secondary school children aged between eight and 15. The sheer scale of the abduction has sent shockwaves through the community, with almost every family in Kuriga believed to have a child among the kidnapped.

The recent kidnappings come on the heels of a similar incident involving women and children abducted from a remote town in Borno state. The escalating trend of kidnappings in the region has prompted concerns among officials and residents alike.

Kaduna state governor Uba Sani attributed the surge in kidnappings to the lack of sufficient security presence on the ground. As parents and relatives of the abducted children organize vigilante groups and seek assistance from neighboring communities, the need for coordinated efforts to address the security crisis has become increasingly apparent.