Nigeria’s security forces have rescued at least 39 schoolchildren and six teachers who were kidnapped by gunmen in the country’s southwestern Oyo state nearly two months ago, according to a presidential spokesperson.

The students and teachers were abducted on May 15 when armed men targeted multiple schools in Oyo’s Oriire district. One of the abducted teachers was killed in captivity, Oyo officials said.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga stated that eight kidnappers were arrested and are in custody. President Bola Tinubu said his government will get justice for the children and their teachers, as well as the family of the teacher who was murdered.

Mass kidnappings by armed groups have become a major security challenge in Nigeria in recent years, with criminal gangs exploiting weak security and porous borders to target travelers, students, and rural communities for cash and in-kind payments.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.