5 Feared Dead as Boko Haram Releases 77 Dapchi Girls

Segun Atanda/

The Federal Government today confirmed the release of some of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls by Boko Haram, amid unconfirmed reports five of them died in the custody of the terrorist group.

NewsmakersNG learned the girls were released by their abductors, who brought 77 of the 110 kidnapped girls to Dapchi town in a big truck, earlier today.

The students of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State were abducted from their school on February 19.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed the girl’s release in an interview with reporters in Abuja.

“Yes, the girls are being transported to safety. We will give details later. We thank God,” he said.

A reporter for the BBC in Nigeria, Stephanie Hegarty, tweeted earlier that five of the girls were feared dead.

Hegarty tweeted: “Calls from Dapchi telling me Boko Haram has returned with the kidnapped girls. Five may have died.”

She said residents of the town fled when they saw a convoy of vehicles that brought back the abducted students, thinking they were facing another attack by Boko Haram “before they saw the girls in a big vehicle”.

Bashir Manzo, who heads a parents’ support group in Dapchi, reportedly said: “The girls have been brought back. They were brought in nine vehicles and dropped outside the school at about 8:00 am.

“I have the list of the missing girls with me, so I am now heading to the school to take a roll call of the returned girls to determine if any of them is still missing.

“These girls were not accompanied by any security personnel. Their abductors brought them, dropped them outside the school and left, without talking to anyone.

“We will get to know more details from the girls about their predicament while in captivity.”

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