A spokesman for the governor of Katsina state told BBC 344 had been freed and were all in a good condition.  

The abduction was claimed by terror group Boko Haram, media reports said.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, tweeted: "The abducted students of the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara has been rescued, the Katsina State Government has confirmed the news. Alhamdulillah!"

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also welcomed the move and tweeted: "I welcome the release of the kidnapped students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara. This is a huge relief to the entire country & international community. The entire country is grateful to Governor Masari, the Intelligence Agencies, the Military and the Police Force."

More than three hundred children were reportedly abducted, after armed gunmen stormed Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina state, recently.

In February 2018, Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped over 100 school girls from a secondary school in the town of Dapchi, in northeast Nigeria. Six years ago, in 2014, the militant group abducted 276 girls from their school dormitory in Chibok. Many of them remain missing.