Nigeria’s military says it has freed all 44 students and teachers who were kidnapped two months ago from schools in southern Oyo state and arrested some of their captors.

A local teachers union told the BBC of their “relief” but families say the ordeal has been heartbreaking and they are still hoping to be reunited with their loved ones.

The military said several soldiers died in the rescue mission.

The freed captives are currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital and will return home at a later date, Danjuma army spokesman Jonah Danjuma said in a statement issued late Friday.

A new wave of mass kidnappings has hit Nigeria in recent months, and insecurity remains a major issue ahead of next year’s general elections.

The government says it is increasing security around schools and vulnerable communities, but critics say it is not enough.

In this case, the victims were abducted by armed men on May 15 from three schools in Osiire District, Oyo State: Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School and Community Grammar School.

No official confirmation has been given of the ages of the victims, but children in these schools in Nigeria are typically between the ages of two and 18.

For their families, it has been an agonizing wait.

“It was a harrowing experience… but we thank God that it ended well,” Professor Wole Alamu tells the BBC. His wife, Rachael Folawe Alamu, is headteacher at Community Grammar school and said her family had found it especially difficult to watch videos of her and other teachers and pupils posted by her kidnappers.

“We are happy that they are out and we are grateful to everyone who has contributed in one way or another to their release,” Professor Alamu added.

Speaking to the BBC, Hassan Ajibola, who heads the Teachers’ Union in Oyo State, said he was “happy and elated” and felt “enormous joy”, but urged authorities to implement stricter safety measures as outlined in their Safe School Initiative., external which was launched over a decade ago following the infamous Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping.

“I am very convinced that if that [if the] “The program will be fully implemented and once launched, our schools will be very, very safe,” he said.

He added that measures should include the deployment of security personnel in schools, CCTV, regular patrols, fencing of school premises and the use of local security groups to support areas facing staff shortages.

In Nigeria, continued school abductions have led to calls from lawmakers and human rights groups for investigations into how Safe School Initiative funds have been used.

The kidnappings in Oyo State caused widespread concern in Nigeria due to their scale and because they took place in the country’s predominantly Christian southwest, as opposed to the predominantly Muslim north, where such attacks are more common.

The army said the army, police, intelligence agencies and local vigilance groups participated in the month-long rescue operation.

He said they identified those behind the kidnapping and dismantled their support network, including informants and hideouts in the forest of Old Oyo National Park. It is one of several large, hard-to-reach areas that have become hideouts for criminal gangs and jihadist groups.

The military acknowledged that some of its personnel died during the operation but did not provide further details.

It announced Friday that it had arrested several suspects, but did not say how many remained at large. The military says more operations are planned.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty