Gunmen release 100 kidnapped victims in northwest Nigeria

Gunmen in northwest Nigeria have released 100 kidnapped victims, many of them nursing mothers and children, who had been held captive for about six weeks

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen in northwest Nigeria have released 100 kidnapped victims, many of them nursing mothers and children, who had been held captive for about six weeks. Police spokesman in Zamfara State, Mohammed Shehu, said Wednesday that the victims had been abducted from Manawa village on June 8. The government “successfully secured the unconditional release of the victims” without paying any ransom, he said. Armed gangs operate in Zamfara and other states in northwestern and north-central Nigeria.