More than 130 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria have been reunited with their families. The students were abducted in the state of Kaduna on March 7, before being freed by the army. Communities are calling for more accountability, particularly amid a set of contradictions in government reports.

Kaduna

More than 130 schoolchildren who were kidnapped in Nigeria have now been reunited with their families. The abduction took place in the state of Kaduna on March 7, and the students were later freed by the army. In the wake of this incident, communities are demanding greater accountability from the government, especially due to conflicting information in official reports.



Nigerian students reunite with families after abduction

Excited and relieved, an entire community welcomes back the freed students. Army convoys make way for the celebration, with students reuniting with their families for the first time since they were kidnapped. Many are still trying to make sense of the ordeal. We were only given two meals a day and the criminals beat us before the food was given to us. The teacher died because of the beating and the slapping by the bandits. The army on Sunday rescues students and staff who were abducted by gunmen from a school in Nigeria's north. They say the ransom of nearly 700,000 dollars was not paid. I haven't slept for weeks. I've just been waiting for the release of our children. Morning and night it was the same. Life was full of grief and sadness, until now. But amid the relief, there's also criticism. Discrepancies over the number of kidnapped has raised concerns. At one point, teachers said there were 280 captives. The government says the number is much lower, stating 137 people had been kidnapped and all of them freed. The governor has been accused of using the release as a publicity stunt, by hosting the students at a state government house just a day after their release was announced. Any attempt to continue to undermine the effort of the security agencies in Nigeria in the name of politics is jeopardizing the lives and properties of our innocent citizens in Nigeria. Abductions at Nigerian schools were first carried out over a decade ago by the armed group Boko Haram. Since then, other criminal gangs have followed suit, demanding ransoms and raising alarm. As families welcome back students, communities across northern Nigeria are again calling on the government for stronger security measures and for accountability. Katia Lopez Olloyan, Al Jazeera.

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