Hundreds of Nigerian schoolboys kidnapped last week from a boarding school have been released, local authorities have told the BBC.
A spokesman for the governor of Katsina state, where the boys were taken, said the 344 freed were in good condition and expected home within hours.
None of the kidnapped group were killed, the spokesman added.
The attack was the first of its kind in north-western Nigeria and was claimed by militant group Boko Haram.
But the Nigerian authorities said the abductions were carried out by local gangs connected to the Islamist group.
Boko Haram has been notorious over the last decade for school kidnappings, including in Chibok in 2014, when nearly 300 schoolgirls were seized. Its name loosely translated as "Western education is forbidden".
However, these abductions have until now taken place in the north-east, where Boko Haram is based.
The spokesman Abdul Labaran, said that a video purporting to come from Boko Haram showing the boys was authentic, but a message seemingly from the group's leader Abubakar Shekau was not him but an impersonator.
Few other details have been made public, but news of the release has been confirmed to BBC Hausa b
Hundreds of Nigerian schoolboys kidnapped last week from a boarding school have been released, local authorities have told the BBC.
A spokesman for the governor of Katsina state, where the boys were taken, said the 344 freed were in good condition and expected home within hours.
None of the kidnapped group were killed, the spokesman added.
The attack was the first of its kind in north-western Nigeria and was claimed by militant group Boko Haram.
But the Nigerian authorities said the abductions were carried out by local gangs connected to the Islamist group.
Boko Haram has been notorious over the last decade for school kidnappings, including in Chibok in 2014, when nearly 300 schoolgirls were seized. Its name loosely translated as "Western education is forbidden".
However, these abductions have until now taken place in the north-east, where Boko Haram is based.
The spokesman Abdul Labaran, said that a video purporting to come from Boko Haram showing the boys was authentic, but a message seemingly from the group's leader Abubakar Shekau was not him but an impersonator.
Few other details have been made public, but news of the release has been confirmed to BBC Hausa by another state government official.
Latest Stories
-
Samson’s Take: Arrogance of Power, Shameful Policing
2 hours -
Burnley score late to draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford
5 hours -
Bayer Leverkusen extend unbeaten run to 46 games after draw with Stuttgart
5 hours -
Chelsea come from two goals down to draw against Aston Villa
5 hours -
Andre Ayew scores in Le Havre’s 3-3 draw with PSG
5 hours -
GPL 2023/24: Kotoko draw with Medeama; Samartex go 7 points clear of Nations FC
5 hours -
Mahama cuts sod for construction of new multipurpose Jakpa palace in Damongo
6 hours -
NSS management assists Papao fire victims
6 hours -
EXPLAINER: Will dumsor end soon?
7 hours -
IMANI Africa takes on EC, accuses it of lying and publishing half truths
8 hours -
Manasseh Azure calls for investigation and prosecution of those responsible for GRA/SML contract
8 hours -
Kwesi Atuahene: Ghana’s health capital depends on HealthTech – Africa Center for Digital Transformation
8 hours -
13 signs your wife is planning on leaving you and you have no idea
8 hours -
IMANI Africa: Ghana’s EC’s dangerous and pathological conduct
9 hours -
If I speak there will be fire – Salah on Klopp row
9 hours