JOS, Nigeria: Gunmen have released a group of people they kidnapped in central Nigeria who were traveling for a Muslim religious event, the brother of one of the victims told AFP Saturday.
On December 21, unidentified attackers abducted 28 people, including women and children, in Plateau state while they were traveling to a Malud gathering to mark the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in the west African country. But the abduction in Plateau state came after a spate of mass kidnappings in November that drew international scrutiny over the country’s grim security situation.
“Yesterday at night, an official of the State Security Service called and told us that our people have been rescued,” said Ibrahim Musa, a brother of one of the victims.
Musa told AFP he and others “are eagerly waiting to receive our people” once they’re handed over by security forces to their families.
