Nigerian president hails 'largest ever' single-day rescue as 308 abductees freed in country's north

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 308 people abducted in different attacks in the northern part of Nigeria were rescued, the country’s president said Wednesday.

Those rescued include 163 people abducted from Woro community in Kaiama area of Kwara state in February, and 145 people kidnapped mostly from Niger state, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said in a statement. Details of the operation that freed the more than 300 people who spent months in captivity were not disclosed, with the statement only saying they were rescued from a forest and are now receiving medical attention.

It was described as the “largest rescue operation ever” undertaken in the country on a single day by security forces, according to Tinubu.

​“The successful execution of this intelligence-led operation demonstrates the growing efficiency and collaboration among our security services,” the president said. “I commend our gallant men and women in uniform for their bravery and unwavering commitment to safeguarding Nigerian lives.”

Abductions at schools are common in Nigeria, where militant groups target them to put pressure on the government and extract ransoms.

Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country. Authorities have said the bandit groups include mostly former herders who took up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over increasingly strained resources.

There is also an insurgency in the country’s northeast that has lasted more than a decade.