A group of girls who were abducted from a boarding school in Nigeria have been released and are “safe”, reports say.

Gunmen abducted 317 students from the Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, on Friday.

But Dr Bello Matawalle, the state’s governor, says the girls are “now safe”.

Alhamdulillah! It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students of GGSS Jangebe from captivity. This follows the scaling of several hurdles laid against our efforts. I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe. pic.twitter.com/YKfHoUuiXP

The men who ransacked the school, had also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from intervening.

Several large groups of armed men operate in Zamfara state, described by the government as bandits, and are known to kidnap for money and for the release of their members from jail.

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