Police: 5 of 73 abducted Nigerian students rescued

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian police say they have rescued five of 73 students abducted from their school earlier this week in northwest Nigeria. The five female students have since been reunited with their families, according to police in Zamfara state. The 73 students were abducted from their school on Wednesday by gunmen, prompting the Zamfara government to shut down primary and secondary schools in the state. More than 1,000 schoolchildren have been kidnapped from schools in Nigeria since December, and UNICEF says some 200 are believed to still be in captivity. Some of those released in the past months were reported to have been let go only after their parents paid ransoms .