The abducted Dapchi schoolgirls have been released.
It was reported that the girls were returned by the insurgent group in nine trucks. Another account says the girls were brought back and dumped in the village by unknown persons though suspected to be Boko Haram.
Goni Bukar, a federal lawmaker representing Bursari/Geidam/Yunusari Federal Constituency under which Dapchi falls, told PREMIUM TIMES the girls have been released.
“I want to congratulate all of us that our girls have finally been released,” Mr. Bukar said. “They are now being counted to be sure of how many of them were freed.”
The presidency has also confirmed the released of the girls in a tweet.
“Details about the released Dapchi girls will be made available in due course. The girls are now in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), in Dapchi”.
The DSS says it will be briefing the President and the nation in the course of the day.
The situation is still unfolding. One account says 5 of the girls died, another gave the number of those released to be 76 with 34 girls still unaccounted for.
Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, says the girls were released at about 3.00 a.m Wednesday through “back-channel efforts” and with the help of some friends of the country.
”For the release to work, 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,” he said.
”Within the period when the girls were being brought back, an operational pause was observed in certain areas to ensure free passage and also that lives were not lost,” Mr. Mohammed said.
He said the number of the freed girls would be updated after the remaining ones have been documented, “especially because the girls were not handed over to anyone but dropped off in Dapchi.”
More details later…..
