ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—After more than 50 days in captivity, a kidnapped teenager was freed around 6 p.m. Wednesday in Tuburan town, Basilan.
Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay confirmed the release of 16-year-old Nico Sebastian.
Furigay said he learned from a Task Force Basilan member that the abductors were forced to release the victim “because of the ongoing military operations in the area of Tuburan.”
The teenager, a resident of Lumuton village in Lamitan City, failed to return home on May 19. His family learned about the kidnapping only after receiving a ransom demand from an unidentified caller seven days later.
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