Gunmen in Nigeria free 74 children after ransoms paid

MAIDUGURI - Gunmen in Nigeria have released 74 children out of more than 80 people who were abducted earlier this month in north-western Zamfara state, after ransoms were paid, parents and a village head said on Saturday.

Gangs of armed men have attacked hundreds of local communities across north-western Nigeria in recent years, while Islamist militants continue to stage attacks in the north-east.

Two parents from Zamfara's Wadzamai village said they paid 20,000 naira ($43.50) each and their children were among those released on Friday and had suffered from severe malnutrition.

A village head in Wadzamai said 11 people were still being held but two were killed trying to escape from their captors.

A police spokesperson for Zamfara said they could not immediately comment.

Kidnappers in Nigeria often keep their victims for months in the forest if a ransom is not paid and also demand villagers pay protection fees to be allowed to farm and harvest their crops.

- REUTERS