Nine children were freed a week after being abducted by armed men from a church in Benue State, central Nigeria, local authorities announced.

The attack took place last Sunday during an all-night vigil at St. John's Catholic Church in the Ado Local Government Area.

"The rescued children, including six girls and three boys, are currently receiving care and support," said Solomon Iorpev, technical advisor to the governor of Benue State, in a statement Saturday evening.

"The governor, who welcomed the news of the rescue with great satisfaction, praised the effective collaboration between conventional security forces and local vigilante groups, which enabled the safe return of the victims," he added.

The circumstances of their release have not been disclosed.

Paying ransoms is illegal in the country, but the government is suspected of regularly resorting to it.

When contacted by AFP, the police did not respond at this time.

The state of Benue is located in a region regularly confronted with tensions between farmers and herders over land and natural resources, as well as kidnappings for ransom perpetrated by local armed groups, known as "bandits".

A series of mass kidnappings in late 2025 drew attention to the country's alarming security situation, notably provoking the ire of the United States, which carried out surprise airstrikes in coordination with Nigerian authorities on Christmas Day in the northern state of Sokoto, targeting jihadists.

US President Donald Trump denounced the "persecution" of Christians in Nigeria, an argument long used by the American religious right. But the killings perpetrated by jihadist groups and criminal gangs in the country generally target Christians and Muslims indiscriminately.

These American accusations are firmly rejected by the Nigerian government and most experts.

Faced with a surge in kidnappings in Africa's most populous country, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in late November and launched the recruitment of soldiers and police officers to combat insecurity, but this did not stop the kidnappings from continuing.