Nigeria kidnappings: Schools in Niger state reopen after mass abductions

Schools in "safe and secure areas" will be allowed to reopen after 250 children were taken in November.

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From 12 January, public and private schools "in safe and secure areas" will be allowed to reopen, Niger state's education ministry said in a statement.

The decision follows security assessments and "extensive consultations" with security agencies, it added.

November's kidnapping of more than 250 students and staff from St Mary's Catholic school in Papiri, western Nigeria, was one of the country's worst abductions to date.

Officials confirmed that all of the missing students and teachers had been rescued just before Christmas. It was not formally made public how the government secured their release, or whether any ransom was paid to their abductors.