LAGOS—Police and government authorities have secured the release of 100 people, including women, children, and nursing mothers, who were kidnapped from their village in northwestern Nigeria over a month ago, a local police spokesperson said. Nigeria is battling an increase in armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom, mainly in northwestern states, where thinly deployed security forces have struggled to contain the rise of armed gangs, commonly referred to as bandits. The released captives had been abducted on June 8 from Manawa village in Zamfara state, Mohammed Shehu, the state’s police spokesperson, said in a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday. He said their release had been secured “without giving any financial or material gain.” “They will be medically checked and debriefed before (being) reunited with their respective families,” the statement added. While northeastern Nigeria has faced a decade of insecurity, including attacks by Islamist terrorists such as ISIS-allied Boko Haram, …