Abducted Nigerian schoolgirls released by kidnappers

Gunmen have released girls kidnapped from a boarding school in northwest Nigeria, the governor of Zamfara state said in a message posted on Twitter on Tuesday.

An armed gang abducted 317 girls from the Government Girls Science Secondary (GGSS) School in the town of Jangebe at around 1 a.m. on Friday. The governor's tweets did not state how many girls had been released, but carried images of girls wearing Muslim veils.

Reuters journalists in Jangebe saw dozens of girls in veils sitting in a hall in a state government building.

"Alhamdulillah! It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students of GGSS Jangebe from captivity", Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle said on Twitter.
"This follows the scaling of several hurdles laid against our efforts. I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe," he said.