Security forces in Kogi State have rescued 17 pupils who were recently kidnapped in the state, leaving nine others including two women in captivity.
The rescue happened after days of joint operations by security agencies following a school abduction reported on April 27.
According to Zagazola Makama on X, those freed include Sultan, Zeidah, Ahmed, Yusuf, Farooq, Museen, Mustapha, Hasheem, Mohammed, Toheer, Abdulmumin, Abdulazeem, Mahmud, Ameerah, Firdaus, Tabarakallah, and Ibrahim.
However, nine victims remain in captivity. They include Habibullah, Shakir, Ahmed, Abdulhammed, Mubarak, Sultannah, Zulaiha, and two women identified as the wives of the school owner, Nana-Hawa and Halimat.
Security operatives have stepped up efforts to rescue the remaining victims. They are combing nearby forests and tracking the kidnappers.
More personnel have also been deployed to key areas, with stop-and-search operations ongoing along major routes like Kabba Junction and Zariagi.
Twenty three students were abducted from their orphanage/Islamic school at Zariagi, Lokoja in Kogi state, which government says operates illegally.