Babies among nearly 100 hostages freed in northern Nigeria

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Police in Nigeria say 97 hostages, mostly women and children, have been rescued more than two months after they were abducted by armed groups in the northwest part of the country. Among the freed hostages are 19 babies, seven pregnant women and more than a dozen children, according to Zamfara police chief Ayuba Elkana who presented them at a briefing in the state. Police said the victims were “rescued unconditionally” on Monday in joint security operations targeting the camps of armed groups who have been terrorizing remote communities across the northwest and central parts of Africa’s most populous country. It is not clear if ransoms were paid for their release.