The state administration and the army of Nigeria announced on Sunday that the kidnapped students from a university in northern Kogi state had been freed, along with other victims who were being held captive by the abductors.
Information commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo of Kogi claimed that the armed group responsible for Thursday’s kidnapping at Confluence University of Science and Technology was engaged in gunfire with security personnel.
A security officer and a hunter were hurt, and the state had called on the assistance of local hunters who are familiar with the Kogi area.
In a separate statement, the Nigerian army said that the kidnappers were engaged in “a fierce firefight” with troops, other security services, and local vigilantes.
“The superior firepower of the troops led to the kidnappers abandoning nine of the kidnapped students, who were subsequently rescued,” the army said.
