Nearly 300 kidnapped students have been rescued in Zamfara state in Nigeria, the governor announced Tuesday. The girls are now waiting to be seen by health-care workers before they will be reunited with their families. “Alhamdulillah! (God be praised!) It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students,” Zamfara Gov. Bello Matawalle tweeted Tuesday. “I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe.” Matawelle said “bandits” were responsible for the kidnapping.

The students, all girls, were kidnapped on Friday when armed gunmen stormed the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe at around 1:30 a.m. local time. Residents who live near the school told The Daily Beast they reported “strange men” in the area to the authorities before the attack. At least 315 girls were reported missing on Friday, and it’s unclear why only 279 were reported found this week.