Sharjah24 - AFP: More than 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen in northwestern Nigeria earlier this month were released unharmed on Sunday, officials and the army said.

The mass abduction in Kuriga, Kaduna state on March 7 was one of the biggest attacks on a school in years and sparked a national outcry over insecurity.

The army said the hostages were freed in the early hours during a rescue operation but did not provide details.

Spokesman Major General Edward Buba shared photos of children wearing dust-covered uniforms in buses.