The 27 students of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State and 15 others have been released by their abductors.
They were reportedly released on Sunday.
Twenty-seven students of the school, three staff and 12 family members were abducted by gunmen on Wednesday ago in Kagara Local Government.
There have been negotiations between the bandits and the Niger State Government for their release after the intervention of Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi
A total of 27 students, three staff members and 12 members of their family were abducted after the attack on the school in the early hours of Wednesday.
Mary Noel-Berje, Chief Press Secretary to the Niger governor, confirmed that the abductees were released on Sunday evening.
According to her, the students and others were already on their way to Minna where the governor would receive them.
Earlier, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had announced the release of the abducted 21 passengers of Niger State Mass Transit bus.
He announced their release on Twitter today, one week after they were captured.
The 21 passengers were abducted by the bandits, while travelling from Kontagora to Minna on 14 February.
On 17 February, the RPG wielding bandits released video and photos of the captives, threatening to kill them.
Governor Bello did not indicate whether ransom was paid to get the captives released.
The same day, another set of bandits captured 27 students of Kagara Government Science School, along with 15 others.
There is no word yet on the fate of the students and the other people abducted.
Abducted Kagara students, teachers regain freedom
By Justina Asishana, Minna
The 42 persons abducted by bandits in Government Science College Kagara, Niger State have regained freedom.
The abductees include 27 students, 3 staff and 12 members of their family.
Sources said the abductees, who were at a different location from the kidnapped passengers, are also on their way to Minna.
The abducted passengers were said to be in Minna but yet to get to the Government House to meet Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello, who will receive them officially.
Details shortly..
Abducted Kagara students, others regain freedom
by Adebayo Ayinla with agency report
Twenty-seven students and 15 workers of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State have been released.
A highly-placed security source told The PUNCH that the abductees were on their way to Minna from around the Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State.
As of the time of sending this report at 11 pm, the state Governor, Sani Bello, top officials of the state government were at the Government House Minna awaiting the arrival of the abductees.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Niger governor, Mary Noel-Berje, also confirmed their release to Premium Times on Sunday evening.
The PUNCH reports that bandits, donning military uniform, had around 2 am on Wednesday invaded Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State, and whisked away 27 pupils and 15 staff members after killing a Senior Secondary School 3 pupil.
The incident has created nationwide agitation and worries over the safety of the kidnapped pupils and school staff members, who were whisked away into the bush by the bandits.
Also, 40 passengers travelling from Kontagora to Minna were abducted by suspected gunmen on February 14.
However, the passengers had regained freedom.
Governor Yahaya Bello of the state said that his administration had taken concrete security measures to ensure the safe returned of the students and others.
Influential Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, had said on Saturday that the kidnapped Kagara schoolchildren might be released today.
In an interview on Saturday, Gumi, who has been in talks with the bandits in the forest, told Sunday PUNCH that there was a possibility that the abductees might regain freedom today, given ongoing talks between the government and the bandits.
The cleric, who recently held a parley with some bandits in Zamfara State forests and consequently called for amnesty for bandits, told one of our correspondents that the negotiation for the release of the schoolchildren and members of staff was slowed down due to logistics.
According to Gumi, the negotiation does not involve payment of ransom.

By Kazeem Ugbodaga