More students freed in Nigeria, amid questions over ransom

MINNA, Nigeria (AP) — Overjoyed parents welcomed home 90 young schoolchildren who had spent three months held by gunmen in northern Nigeria, though authorities confirmed Friday that one of the kidnapped children had died during the ordeal.

Meanwhile, elsewhere police announced that a second group of 15 students taken earlier this month also were freed, raising hopes across the country's north that other child hostages could eventually be delivered.

“The happiness can’t be quantified,” said Yahya Aliyu Babangida, 54, a teacher whose two children aged 7 and 17 were among those released.

Some of the abducted pupils in Niger state were just 4 years old, he said. Several were undergoing medical treatment after their release late Thursday.

“They are exposed to this harsh weather, no food, mosquitos everywhere,” he said. “Some of them had never been outside the comfort of their homes.”

News of the children's release was celebrated across Nigeria, where more than 1,000 students have been kidnapped from schools since December. Most are eventually freed though about 200 remain missing. The abductions have stepped up pressure on the Nigerian government to do more to secure educational facilities in remote areas.

But questions remained Friday about how much ransom had been paid to secure the children's release, and if so whether that could in turn fuel further abductions by the unknown armed groups referred to locally as bandits.

Muhammad Musa Kawule, 42, acknowledged paying intermediaries in hopes of securing his 6-year-old daughter's freedom.

“I spent a lot of money but today, I’m happy,” he told The Associated Press on Friday. He did not specify how much he had paid nor whether government officials had been involved.

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