Nigeria, Nov. 6 -- The Kaduna State Government says it has secured the release of over 500 kidnapped persons through a peace model that does not involve payment of ransom or use of force against bandits.

The state's Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, made this claim while speaking at a one-day workshop on Peace Journalism in Kaduna on Wednesday.

Mr Maiyaki said the model, developed by the joint Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Kaduna Peace Committee, saw the government abandon cash-for-peace deals for a "new, people-driven strategy that addresses insecurity through education, healthcare, and livelihood support for affected communities."

Mr Maiyaki described the approach, known as the Kaduna Peace Model, ...