The government says a group of students abducted in May by Muslim militants in Nigeria's Oyo state have been rescued

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A group of students abducted in May by Muslim militants in Nigeria's southwestern Oyo state have been rescued, the government said Friday.

Government spokesman Bayo Onanuga did not specify the total number of students rescued but authorities said at the time of the abductions from two secondary schools on May 15 that more than 40 people had been abducted.

Eight militants were arrested as part of the operation, Onanuga said.

The abductions in the southern state of Oyo had represented an escalation of the country’s security crisis because most such abductions previously had taken place in the north.

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