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The police said that in a new school attack in northwestern Nigeria on Wednesday, the gunman kidnapped 73 students. Just a few days ago, a large ransom was reportedly paid and three other groups of hostages were released.
According to Mohamed Shehu, a spokesman for the Zanfala state police, the attackers attacked the government day high school in the remote village of Kaya. He added that rescue operations are underway to release the students.
Since December last year, more than 1,000 students have been abducted from schools in northern Nigeria. The gunmen asked their parents to pay a large ransom. Although most of the students were eventually released, some students have died or been killed in captivity.
Government officials have not yet commented on whether they played any role in the hostage release announced last Friday.
However, the principal of a school in Niger State told the Associated Press that many parents sold most of their property to raise funds. He added that Salihu Tanko Islamiya School also sold a piece of land for their planned expansion project.
The 90 students released were the youngest hostages in a school in Nigeria. Children as young as 4 years old were taken into remote forests by gunmen and detained for three months without their parents. Authorities said last week that an unidentified child died in the ordeal.
The rising rate of kidnapping in northern Nigeria has forced some state governments to temporarily close some schools as they struggle to find ways to ensure adequate security in areas where there is usually no police force.
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