"Mass Abduction: 300 Nigerian Schoolchildren Freed After Weeks in Captivity"

Nearly 300 schoolchildren abducted from their school in northwest Nigeria's Kaduna state have been released after over two weeks in captivity, with at least 1,400 students having been kidnapped from Nigerian schools since 2014. The abductions have been attributed to bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the conflict-battered northern region, and while no group has claimed responsibility for the recent kidnapping, the identity of the abductors is known to some individuals. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu had vowed to rescue the children "without paying a dime" as ransom, but ransoms are commonly paid for kidnappings in the country.