Officials at a Catholic school in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, announced that at least 50 of the 303 students who were kidnapped by gunmen a few days ago have managed to escape captivity and return to their families.
The incident, announced on Sunday, comes after one of the largest mass kidnappings of schoolchildren in Nigerian history and brings hopeful news to a number of worried families.
Details of how these students escaped have not yet been announced, but the search for the other 253 is still ongoing.
Kidnapping for ransom has increased sharply in northern and central Nigeria in recent years.
