Nigerian government: Students kidnapped by Islamic militants in May rescued

Schoolchildren kidnapped by Islamic militants in southwestern Nigeria's Oyo state in May have been rescued, the Nigerian government has said.

Government spokesman Bajo Onanuga did not specify exactly how many students had been rescued, but authorities said at the time of the incident on May 15 that more than 40 people had been abducted. One of the teachers abducted with the students was killed shortly after the kidnapping.

Onanuga said eight militants were arrested and several were killed.

This kidnapping in southern Nigeria represented an escalation of the security crisis in the country, given that the majority of kidnappings had occurred in the north.

"This successful military operation ended a siege of more than 50 days and brought relief to the entire nation and especially to the affected families," Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said in a statement.

On the same week as the kidnapping in Oyo State, dozens of children were abducted in Borno State, the epicenter of Nigeria's security crisis.

School kidnappings are common in Nigeria, where militant groups target children to put pressure on the government and extort ransoms.