Seventy-five children who were kidnapped from their school in Zamfara State have been released after their abductors came under pressure from a military crackdown, a state official said on Monday. Gunmen took the students from the village of Kaya on Sept. 1, the latest in a spate of mass kidnappings from schools across the region. More than 1,100 children have been seized since December last year. Authorities say they were abducted by heavily armed gangs of bandits seeking ransoms. A spokesman for the Zamfara State governor said no ransom had been paid for the 75 children, who had been received…

National Universities Commission (NUC) has promised to support the newly appointed Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU), Olusola Bandele Oyewole. The Commission also assured that it would partner with the 54-year-old association, just as it expressed confidence in the ability of the new Secretary-General to excel in office in the overall benefits of universities in Africa. “Let me also re-assure you of the unwavering commitment of the Commission in partnering with the Association in those cross-cutting areas that would be mutually beneficial to both the NUC in particular, and the NUS in general,” the NUC said in a…

Armed bandits on Saturday attacked a military base in Zamfara State, leaving at least a dozen gallant security personnel dead. Those familiar with the incident said that at least 12 personnel were confirmed dead while three were wounded in the attack on Forward Operating Base in Mutumji, Dansadau Local Government of Zamfara State. The sad incident comes amidst heightened offensive by security forces against bandits in the Northwest region of Nigeria. Scores of bandits were reportedly killed and many arrested in several operations which necessitated the shutdown of telephone networks in Zamfara and parts of Katsina States. The latest attack…

Afghan universities will be segregated by gender, and a new dress code will be introduced, the Taliban has said. Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani indicated women would be allowed to study, but not alongside men. He also announced a review of the subjects students would be taught. Women and girls were banned from schools and universities under Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001. The Taliban have said they will not prevent women from being educated or having jobs. But since they seized control on 15 August, they have asked all women, except those in the public health sector, to…