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105 Dapchi schoolgirls and a boy released by Boko Haram – Lai Mohammed

Published

7 years ago

March 21, 2018

The Nigerian government has now confirmed that 105 girls have been released from among 110 kidnapped intoDapchi , Yobe State . The girls were released early on Wednesday weeks after they were kidnapped from their secondary school in Dapchi, Yobe State. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who stated these, is currently at the Air Force Base in Maiduguri waiting to receive the released girls.
According to Premium Times, the minister said a boy was among those released by the terror group.

He explained that the earlier conflicting figure released by him was because the “the girls went to their homes after they were released in Dapchi.”

He said the figure is being updated as the girls showed up in the presence of public officials.

“What we have now is 105 girls and a boy; that makes it 106 persons released today”, he said.

The confirmation of the release of the schoolgirls was made in a statement by the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed. earlier today, Mr Mohammed said President Muhammadu Buhari directives to all security agencies to do everything possible to secure the release of the Dapchi school girls, who were abducted February 19, had “yielded fruits”.

He said the release of the remaining abducted students was “ongoing”. He said the girls were released around 3 a.m. through “back-channel efforts” and with the help of some friends of the country, and that it was unconditional

”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.

”Within the period when the girls were being brought back, 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.”