Sub-Saharan Africa
Sputnik brings you all the most recent information, major events, heroes and views, including breaking news, images, videos, analyses, and features.

Nigerian Students Kidnapped in Early March Freed, Governor States

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Students who were kidnapped by gunmen from a school in Kaduna state in central Nigeria in early March have been freed, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani said on Sunday, expressing gratitude to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring that the students were released unharmed.
Sputnik
Two weeks ago, unidentified gunmen broke into a primary school in the village of Kuriga in Kaduna State and kidnapped 232 students, as well as teachers.
"I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released," Sani said on social media, without giving details of how the children were freed.
Sani also expressed gratitude to the Nigerian armed forces for "showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities."
Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigerian Gunmen Who Kidnapped Schoolchildren Reportedly Demand $620,000 Ransom
The security situation in Nigeria has deteriorated in recent years, with a number of security threats, ranging from the activities of Boko Haram* and other extremist organizations to kidnappings for ransom and criminal looting.
On March 13, media reported that the kidnappers of students from the Kuriga village had demanded a ransom of 1 billion naira (more than $680,700) and threatened to kill all the abducts if their demands were not met.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other states.