Scores of schoolchildren abducted from Kuriga, Kaduna State have been released, two weeks after they were taken away in what was one of Nigeria’s largest mass kidnappings in years.

The students, about 287, were kidnapped when the gunmen on motorcycles rode through their school, taking them away in an incident that sparked outrage and condemnation from several quarters including the UN children’s welfare agency UNICEF.

But weeks after the gunmen locally known as bandits seized the schoolchildren, mostly between 8 and 15 years old, Governor Uba Sani said they have regained their freedom.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu, government officials and security agencies for their role in the students’ freedom.