Nigerian security forces free hundreds of abductees

In what Nigeria’s president described as the country’s largest single-day rescue operation, security forces freed hundreds of people from captivity in the northern Kainji Lake National Park. Authorities have not identified the kidnappers, but abductions by armed groups, including Boko Haram-linked militants, have become increasingly common to extract ransom payments. Twelve years ago, Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok. The UN warned earlier this year that kidnappings of schoolchildren are rising once again.