Open this photo in gallery Some of the newly released Dapchi schoolgirls are pictured in Jumbam village, Yobe State, Nigeria, on March 21, 2018. STRINGER/Reuters

Boko Haram Islamic extremists brought back nearly all of the 110 girls they had kidnapped from a boarding school last month, dropping them off in the middle of the night Wednesday with a warning: “Don’t ever put your daughters in school again.”

Several of the girls interviewed by The Associated Press said they had been travelling for days before the convoy of vehicles arrived in the centre of the town of Dapchi around 2 a.m. Residents who had fled upon hearing that Boko Haram was headed their way watched from hiding as dozens of girls descended from the vehicles apparently unharmed.

“We were freed because we are Muslim girls and they didn’t want us to suffer. That is why they released us,” said Khadija Grema, one of the freed girls who said a Christian classmate remained captive.

Story continues below advertisement

The extraordinary development brought elation to most of the families, but more heartache for the relatives of the six girls still unaccounted for. The sister of one girl fainted Wednesday upon hearing that she was not among those freed.

One 14-year-old released by the fighters told reporters that five girls had died. She did not provide other details and it was not immediately possible to independently verify her claim.

The abductions in Dapchi have evoked painful memories of the tragedy in Chibok, where 276 girls were kidnapped from their boarding school. Nearly four years later, about 100 of them have never returned home. Many had been forced to marry their captors and had children fathered by them.

The Nigerian government denied that it had paid a ransom or made a prisoner swap in exchange for the girls’ freedom. The girls were released “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional,” Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists in the capital, Abuja.

Islamist militants release most of the 110 girls aged 11-19 kidnapped on February 19 from the town of Dapchi. Reuters

“No money changed hands. They only had one condition — that they will return them to where they took them. So in the early hours of today, they did return the girls and most of them went to their parents,” he said.

The girls were meeting with counsellors at a nearby hospital, and “will be quarantined and be counselled before they go back to their schools,” he added. Nigeria’s government later said they were being taken to the capital on a military plane.

The fighters had rolled into Dapchi in nine vehicles and the girls were left in the centre of town. As terrified residents emerged from their homes, the extremists issued an ominous warning, resident Ba’ana Musa told the AP.

Story continues below advertisement

Story continues below advertisement

“We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” the residents said the extremists told them. Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language.

Nigeria’s government said 104 of the 110 schoolgirls had been confirmed freed.

The latest mass abduction is thought to have been carried out by a Boko Haram splinter group aligned with the Islamic State group that has criticized the leader of the main Boko Haram organization for targeting civilians and has focused instead on military and Western targets.

The release came a day after an Amnesty International report accused the Nigerian military of failing to heed several warnings of an imminent attack on Feb. 19 during which the girls were seized. The military has called the report an “outright falsehood.”

Wednesday’s miraculous development also brought renewed focus to the 100 Chibok girls still missing since April 2014. Coincidentally, some of the Chibok families had already made plans to travel to Dapchi that day to lend their moral support before it was known that most of the girls had been released.

Some of the Chibok families instead joined in rejoicing with the Dapchi parents, said Lawan Zannah, secretary of the Chibok parents’ association.

Story continues below advertisement

“This development gives us light that ... we can take a message to our other colleagues at home that yes, what we have seen will give us hope that our own (girls) too will be released,” Zannah said.</s>Boko Haram extremists have returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigerian boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said.

Boko Haram extremists have returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigerian boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said.

As terrified residents emerged from their homes, the extremists said “this is a warning to you all”, resident Ba’ana Musa told the Associated Press. Ministers of Information and Defence have just briefed the press ahead of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Meeting. 



The released Girls are in Dapchi and being documented; Situation is developing; release is outcome of “backchannel” negotiations; no ransoms were paid. pic.twitter.com/wajHHCaGUd — Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) March 21, 2018 “We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” the extremists said.

Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language. Nigeria’s government said 101 of the 110 schoolgirls had been confirmed freed and that the number “would be updated after the remaining ones have been documented”.

“No ransoms were paid,” information minister Lai Mohammed said in a statement. The girls were released “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional”.

Family members travelled to the town on Wednesday morning. “When I get there we will do a headcount to see if all of them have been released,” said Bashir Manzo, whose 16-year-old daughter was among those kidnapped during the February 19 attack.

The mass abduction and the government response brought back painful memories of the 2014 attack on a boarding school in Chibok. Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls, and about 100 of them have never returned.

Some girls were forced to marry their captors, and many had children fathered by the militants. The latest mass abduction is thought to have been carried out by a Boko Haram splinter group aligned with Islamic State, one that has criticised the leader of the main Boko Haram organisation for targeting civilians and has focused instead on military and Western targets.

Residents in Dapchi fled on Wednesday morning upon hearing that Boko Haram vehicles were heading towards the town. “We fled but, from our hiding, we could see them and surprisingly, we saw our girls getting out of the vehicles,” Umar Hassan told the AP. GREAT NEWS from Dapchi, Yobe State. Thank God for the safe return of our sisters. Alhamdulillah! — Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) March 21, 2018 “They assembled the girls and talked to them for some few minutes and left without any confrontation,” said another resident, Kachallah Musa.

The girls were at hospital in Dapchi “and the counsellors are there with them”, the information minister told reporters. As with the released Chibok schoolgirls, “they will be quarantined and be counselled before they go back to their schools”. Their release came a day after an Amnesty International report accused the Nigerian military of failing to heed several warnings of the imminent attack last month.

The military has called the report an “outright falsehood”. “GREAT NEWS from Dapchi, Yobe State. Thank God for the safe return of our sisters. Alhamdulillah!” an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, said on Twitter.</s>Boko Haram extremists have returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigerian boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said.

The fighters rolled into Dapchi at around 2am local time in nine vehicles and the girls were left in the centre of town.

As terrified residents emerged from their homes, the extremists said “this is a warning to you all”, resident Ba’ana Musa told the Associated Press.

“We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” the extremists said.

Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language.

Nigeria’s government said 101 of the 110 schoolgirls had been confirmed freed and that the number “would be updated after the remaining ones have been documented”.

“No ransoms were paid,” information minister Lai Mohammed said in a statement.

The girls were released “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional”.

Family members travelled to the town on Wednesday morning.

“When I get there we will do a headcount to see if all of them have been released,” said Bashir Manzo, whose 16-year-old daughter was among those kidnapped during the February 19 attack.

Mr Manzo confirmed that his daughter was among those freed.

“As I speak to you there is jubilation in Dapchi,” he said.

The mass abduction and the government response brought back painful memories of the 2014 attack on a boarding school in Chibok.

Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls, and about 100 of them have never returned.

Some girls were forced to marry their captors, and many had children fathered by the militants.

The latest mass abduction is thought to have been carried out by a Boko Haram splinter group aligned with Islamic State, one that has criticised the leader of the main Boko Haram organisation for targeting civilians and has focused instead on military and Western targets.

Residents in Dapchi fled on Wednesday morning upon hearing that Boko Haram vehicles were heading towards the town.

“We fled but, from our hiding, we could see them and surprisingly, we saw our girls getting out of the vehicles,” Umar Hassan told the AP.

“They assembled the girls and talked to them for some few minutes and left without any confrontation,” said another resident, Kachallah Musa.

The girls were at hospital in Dapchi “and the counsellors are there with them”, the information minister told reporters.

As with the released Chibok schoolgirls, “they will be quarantined and be counselled before they go back to their schools”.

Their release came a day after an Amnesty International report accused the Nigerian military of failing to heed several warnings of the imminent attack last month.

The military has called the report an “outright falsehood”.

“GREAT NEWS from Dapchi, Yobe State. Thank God for the safe return of our sisters. Alhamdulillah!” an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, said on Twitter.</s>Some of the 110 schoolgirls kidnapped one month ago by the Boko Haram terror group in Nigeria have been released in the northeast of the country, a spokesman for the presidency said Wednesday.

An as yet unspecified number of the victims were returned to Dapchi, the town in Nigeria's restive northeast where they were kidnapped from a school on Feb. 19.</s>The Nigerian government on Wednesday said 101 of the 110 girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamist militants in mid-February were returned to their hometown of Dapchi in northeastern Nigeria on Wednesday.

"No ransoms were paid," said Information Minister Lai Mohammed, adding the girls were released "through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional."

The girls were being treated by counselors at a local hospital and would receive psychological treatment before they returned to their schools, according to Mohammed.

Read more: Nigeria fails to protect schools from Boko Haram's attacks

The family of one of the kidnapped schoolgirls told DW correspondent Adrian Kriesch in Lagos that their daughter, Aisha, had been returned.

Another father told DW: "They were just brought inside the town and released. The insurgents told them just go to your homes."

Boko Haram freed the girls "out of pity," one of the fighters told residents after a convoy of trucks dropped them off in the town.

He also told residents: "Don't ever put your daughters in school again."

In the local Hausa language, Boko Haram translates as "Western education is forbidden."

Read more: Are Nigerian authorities withholding information on missing Dapchi schoolgirls?

Nigeria's military dismissed an Amnesty International report that claimed security forces were warned several times ahead of the mass abduction last month as "outright falsehood."

Read more: Is Islamic extremism on the rise in Africa?

Amnesty had on Tuesday cited sources including security officials and witnesses who said military and police received at least five calls in the hours before the attack.

The latest kidnappings caused a fresh wave of anger in Nigeria, with many people reminded of Boko Haram's abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014.

The February 19 case is the biggest mass abduction since the Chibok kidnappings.

On 22 February, Nigerian media reported that up to 76 of the girls had been rescued, two days after they were kidnapped.

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Witnesses say Boko Haram militants have returned an unknown number of the 110 girls who were abducted from their Nigeria school a month ago.

Falmata Abubakar, one of the girls freed from the Government Girls Science and Technical College Dapchi, is photographed after her release by Islamist Terrorist in Dapchi, Nigeria, Wednesday March. 21, 2018. Witnesses say Boko Haram militants have returned an unknown number of the 110 girls who were abducted from their Nigeria school a month ago. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)

Boko Haram extremists returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigeria boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said Wednesday.

The fighters rolled into Dapchi around 2 a.m. in nine vehicles and the girls were left in the centre of town. As terrified residents emerged from their homes, the extremists said “this is a warning to you all,” resident Ba’ana Musa told The Associated Press.

“We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” the extremists said. Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language.

Nigeria’s government said 101 of the 110 schoolgirls, most of them Muslim, had been confirmed freed and that the number “would be updated after the remaining ones have been documented.”

“No ransoms were paid,” the information minister, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement. The girls were released “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional.”

Family members were en route to the town Wednesday morning.

“When I get there we will do a head count to see if all of them have been released,” said Bashir Manzo, whose 16-year-old daughter was among those kidnapped during the Feb. 19 attack.

Manzo confirmed that his daughter was among those freed.

“As I speak to you there is jubilation in Dapchi,” he said.

The mass abduction and the government response brought back painful memories of the 2014 attack on a boarding school in Chibok. Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls, and about 100 of them have never returned. Some girls were forced to marry their captors, and many had children fathered by the militants.

The latest mass abduction is thought to have been carried out by a Boko Haram splinter group aligned with the Islamic State, one that has criticized the leader of the main Boko Haram organization for targeting civilians and has focused instead on military and Western targets.

Residents in Dapchi fled on Wednesday morning upon hearing that Boko Haram vehicles were headed toward the town.

“We fled but, from our hiding, we could see them and surprisingly, we saw our girls getting out of the vehicles,” Umar Hassan told the AP.

“They assembled the girls and talked to them for some few minutes and left without any confrontation,” said another resident, Kachallah Musa.

The girls were at the general hospital in Dapchi “and the counsellors are there with them,” the information minister told reporters. As with the released Chibok schoolgirls, “they will be quarantined and be counselled before they go back to their schools.”

Their release came a day after an Amnesty International report accused the Nigerian military of failing to heed several warnings of the imminent attack last month. The military has called the report an “outright falsehood.”

Nigeria’s government celebrated the girls’ release. “GREAT NEWS from Dapchi, Yobe State. Thank God for the safe return of our sisters. Alhamdulillah!” an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, said on Twitter.

Associated Press writers Ibrahim Abdulaziz in Yola, Nigeria; Sam Olukoya in Lagos and Bashir Adigun in Abuja, Nigeria contributed.

Haruna Umar And Ismail Alfa Abdulrahim, The Associated Press

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>Boko Haram extremists returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigeria boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said Wednesday.</s>Trials begin for more than 1,600 Boko Haram suspects in Nigeria

Fresh fears as over 90 Nigerian schoolgirls go missing after Boko Haram attack

Witnesses say Boko Haram militants have returned at least 91 girls who were abducted from their Nigeria school a month ago, but not without issuing an ominous warning to the girls' parents.

Residents of the northeast Nigerian town of Dapchi said the girls were returned by men they thought were fighters from the terrorist Boko Haram group. The freed girls and their relatives said five girls died in captivity and one was still held by the group.

A witness in the town told The Associated Press that the fighters told residents they had returned the girls "out of pity."

"And don't ever put your daughters in school again," they warned.

Boko Haram translates as "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language.

The Nigerian government said the release of the girls came after backdoor negotiations with the terrorist group.

Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed said in a statement that the Nigerian government had agreed with Boko Haram on a "non-violent approach" to the girls' release, resulting in a group of militants returning them in a vehicle convoy.

"An operational pause was observed in certain areas to ensure free passage and also that lives were not lost," said Mohammed.

The kidnapping on Feb. 19 of the girls, aged 11-19, was the biggest mass abduction since Boko Haram took more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014 – a case that triggered international outrage.

Their release comes a day after an Amnesty International report accused the Nigerian military of failing to heed warnings of the attack. The military has called the report an "outright falsehood."

The Dapchi abduction has piled pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 promising to crack down on Boko Haram's 5-year-old insurgency and could face the voters again next year.</s>MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Boko Haram extremists returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigeria boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said Wednesday.

The fighters rolled into Dapchi around 2 a.m. in nine vehicles and the girls were left in the centre of town. As terrified residents emerged from their homes, the extremists said "this is a warning to you all," resident Ba'ana Musa told The Associated Press.

"We did it out of pity. And don't ever put your daughters in school again," the extremists said. Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language.

Nigeria's government said 101 of the 110 schoolgirls, most of them Muslim, had been confirmed freed and that the number "would be updated after the remaining ones have been documented."

"No ransoms were paid," the information minister, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement. The girls were released "through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional."

Family members were en route to the town Wednesday morning.

"When I get there we will do a head count to see if all of them have been released," said Bashir Manzo, whose 16-year-old daughter was among those kidnapped during the Feb. 19 attack.

Manzo confirmed that his daughter was among those freed.

"As I speak to you there is jubilation in Dapchi," he said.

The mass abduction and the government response brought back painful memories of the 2014 attack on a boarding school in Chibok. Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls, and about 100 of them have never returned. Some girls were forced to marry their captors, and many had children fathered by the militants.</s>'We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,' Boko Haram extremists said after returning the girls.

Luggage belonging to the kidnapped girls remain in the dormitory in the Government Girls Science and Technical College Dapchi, Nigeria. Boko Haram militants have returned unknown number of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigeria boarding school a month ago with an ominous warning, witnesses said on Wednesday. (AP Photo | Jossy Ola)

Lagos (Nigeria): Boko Haram extremists returned almost all of the 110 girls abducted from their Nigeria boarding school, in February, with an ominous warning, witnesses said on Wednesday.

The fighters rolled into Dapchi around 2 am in nine vehicles and the girls were left in the center of town. As terrified residents emerged from their homes, the extremists said “this is a warning to you all,” resident Ba’ana Musa said.

“We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” the extremists said. Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language.

Nigeria’s information minister said 91 of the 110 schoolgirls had been confirmed freed. The fate of the others was not immediately clear.

Also Read: More than 100 girls are missing, possibly abducted, after Boko Haram attacks school

“No ransoms were paid,” the minister, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement. The girls were released “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional.”

Family members were en route to the town on Wednesday morning.

“When I get there we will do a head count to see if all of them have been released,” said Bashir Manzo, whose 16-year-old daughter was among those kidnapped during the Feb 19 attack.

Manzo confirmed that his daughter was among those freed.

“As I speak to you there is jubilation in Dapchi,” he said.

The mass abduction and the government response brought back painful memories of the 2014 attack on a boarding school in Chibok. Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls, and about 100 of them have never returned.

Some girls were forced to marry their captors, and many had children fathered by the militants.

The latest mass abduction is thought to have been carried out by a Boko Haram splinter group aligned with the Islamic State, one that has criticized the leader of the main Boko Haram organization for targeting civilians and has focused instead on military and Western targets.

Residents in Dapchi fled on Wednesday morning upon hearing that Boko Haram vehicles were headed toward the town.

“We fled but, from our hiding, we could see them and surprisingly, we saw our girls getting out of the vehicles,” Umar Hassan said.

“They assembled the girls and talked to them for some few minutes and left without any confrontation,” said another resident, Kachallah Musa.

Their release came a day after an Amnesty International report accused the Nigerian military of failing to heed several warnings of the imminent attack in February. The military has called the report an “outright falsehood.”

Nigeria’s government celebrated the girls’ release. “GREAT NEWS from Dapchi, Yobe State. Thank God for the safe return of our sisters. Alhamdulillah!” an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, said on Twitter.
Boko Haram releases most of the 110 Nigerian schoolgirls it had kidnapped in February 2018, and warns against sending them back to school.