Twenty-four girls who were abducted from a government boarding school in northwestern Nigeria last week have been released, the presidency announced.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday welcomed the girls’ release and called on security forces to intensify efforts to free others still held captive.

“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now we must put, as a matter of urgency, more boots on the ground in the vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping. My government will offer all the assistance needed to achieve this,” Tinubu said.

The girls were seized on November 17 when armed men stormed their school in Kebbi State shortly after a military detachment left the premises.

Mass kidnappings for ransom have become common in northern Nigeria, w

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