The majority of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by militants from the town of Dapchi last month have been returned, the government says.<\/p>\n
Nigeria’s Ministry of Information says 76 of the 110 schoolgirls were brought back in the early hours of this morning following “back channel efforts”.<\/p>\n
The army then “paused” its operations in the area to ensure “lives were not lost”, the statement continued.<\/p>\n
However, the statement did not address reports a number of the girls had died.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in the statement that girls were released “unconditionally” and “with the help of some friends of the country”.<\/p>\n
“The government had a clear understanding that violence and confrontation would not be the way out as it could endanger the lives of the girls, hence a non-violent approach was the preferred option,” Mr Mohammed added.<\/p>\n
He also revealed the numbers could go up because the girls were not handed over to anyone in particular, allowing for an official count.<\/p>\n
Parent Kundili Bukar told the BBC the militants – understood to be Boko Haram – drove into the town in a motorcade in the early hours of Wednesday morning and surrendered the girls to the community.<\/p>\n
The militants are said to have left immediately. He said the girls were looking haggard and tired – although some reportedly found the strength to run home to their families after being released.<\/p>\n
Another parent, Manuga Lawal, said he had managed to speak to his daughter, who was among the kidnapped girls, on the phone.<\/p>\n
The girls were taken from their school on the evening of Monday, 19 February, by a group of militants who had attacked the town of Dapchi.<\/p>\n
Originally, it was claimed many of the girls had escaped and no-one had been kidnapped. But a week later, authorities admitted they were taken by the Islamist militants.<\/p>\n
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, who called the kidnappings a “national disaster” and apologised to the girls’ families, indicated on 12 March that the government was negotiating with the militants to secure girls’ release and were not seeking a military solution.<\/p>\n
“We are trying to be careful. It is better to get our daughters back alive,” he said in a press release seen by news agency AFP.<\/p>\n
The kidnapping raised uncomfortable parallels with the abduction of the Chibok girls, who were taken from their school in neighbouring Borno state in April 2014.<\/p>\n
The military and the government initially denied the kidnappings in Chibok, some 275km (170 miles) south-east of Dapchi.<\/p>\n
Former President Goodluck Jonathan was criticised for not doing enough to recover the girls. The abduction sparked global outrage and led to social media campaign<\/p>\n
The Chibok abduction sparked global outrage and led to one of the biggest social campaigns in recent years.<\/p>\n
More than 100 of the 276 kidnapped schoolgirls remain in captivity.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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