BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) - The Nigerian military rescued 76 schoolgirls and recovered the bodies of two others on Wednesday, after the students went missing during a Boko Haram attack on a village, three parents, a resident and a local government official told Reuters.

“Everybody is celebrating their coming with songs and praises to God almighty,” said Babagana Umar, one of the parents whose daughter had disappeared. “The only sad news is that two girls were dead and no explanation.”

The rescued girls were returned to the village of Dapchi late on Wednesday evening, Umar and other residents said.

At least 13 students may still be missing, and Reuters was unable to determine how the two girls died. Earlier on Wednesday, sources told Reuters that 91 people were unaccounted for after a roll-call at their school on Tuesday.

Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram attacked Dapchi in the northeastern state of Yobe on Monday evening.

Police and state officials said on Wednesday that there was no evidence that the girls had been abducted, though the Yobe government later said in a statement that the military had rescued some of the students from Boko Haram.

Nigerian authorities often deny or downplay such incidents, including the Chibok girl kidnapping and more recent abductions, as well as the scale of Boko Haram attacks in the northeast.

Nigeria is still haunted by Boko Haram’s abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014. That case drew global attention to the nine-year insurgency, which has sparked what the United Nations has called one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

President Muhammadu Buhari dispatched his foreign and defense ministers on Wednesday to Yobe to investigate the situation, said Information Minister Lai Mohammed, who was also headed there. He declined to confirm whether any of the students were missing.

Parents and witnesses who told Reuters of the missing students spoke on condition of anonymity because they said they had been warned by Nigerian security and government officials not to disclose the disappearance.

SHOTS FIRED AT SCHOOL

The Boko Haram militants arrived in Dapchi on Monday evening in trucks, some mounted with heavy guns and painted in military camouflage, witnesses told Reuters.

They went directly to the school, shooting sporadically, sending students and teachers fleeing, the witnesses said, adding that some people had returned to Dapchi after spending the night hiding in the bush.

Yobe state Police Commissioner Sumonu Abdulmaliki told reporters on Tuesday that Boko Haram had also abducted three people from nearby Gaidam.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million forced to flee their homes in the northeast of Africa’s most populous nation since Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009.

Of about 270 girls abducted from their school in Chibok in April 2014, about 60 escaped soon afterwards and others have since been released after mediation. Around 100 are still believed to be in captivity.

Last month, Boko Haram released a video purporting to show some of the Chibok girls still in its custody, saying they do not wish to return home.

Aid groups have said that Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands more adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.</s>ADVERTISEMENT

The Yobe State Government has announced that some of the missing schoolgirls of Government Girls Science and Technical College have been rescued by the Nigerian Army from Boko Haram terrorists.

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This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the Director-General, Press Affairs to the state governor, Malam Abdullahi Bego.

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The statement reads: "I hereby informs the public that some of the girls at Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) whose school was attacked by Boko Haram terrorists last Monday have been rescued by gallant officers and men of the Nigerian Army from the terrorists who abducted them.

"The rescued girls are now in the custody of the Nigerian Army. We will provide more details about their number and condition in due course.

"His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, who is very grateful for the gallantry and hard work of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army involved in the operation, is monitoring the situation closely and will make a statement in due course" he said.

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OVER 5,000 NIGERIAN MEN HAVE OVERCOME POOR BEDROOM PERFORMANCE SYNDROME DUE TO THIS BRILLIANT DISCOVERY

Download Daily Trust News App</s>ABUJA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The Nigerian military rescued 76 schoolgirls and recovered the bodies of two others on Wednesday, after the students went missing during a Boko Haram attack on a village, three parents, a resident and a local government official told Reuters.

More than 90 schoolgirls were feared missing after the attack on the village of Dapchi in the northeastern state of Yobe, sources had told Reuters earlier on Wednesday.

Reuters was unable to determine the situation of the remaining missing students. (Reporting by Paul Carsten; Editing by Chris Reese)</s>Bauchi, Nigeria: The Nigerian military has rescued 76 schoolgirls and recovered the bodies of two others of the more than 90 students who went missing during a Boko Haram attack on a village.

The students were feared missing after the attack on the village of Dapchi in the northeastern state of Yobe, two sources told Reuters.

Reuters was unable to determine the situation of the remaining missing students.

The disappearance, if confirmed, would be one of the largest since Boko Haram abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014. That case drew global attention to the nine-year insurgency, which has sparked what the United Nations has called one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

President Muhammadu Buhari dispatched his foreign and defence ministers on Wednesday to Yobe to investigate the situation, said Information Minister Lai Mohammed, who was also headed there. But he declined to confirm whether any of the students was missing.

A roll-call at the girls' school on Tuesday showed that 91 students were absent, said the two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

"I saw girls crying and wailing in three Tata vehicles and they were crying for help," said a witness from the nearby village of Gumsa who was reportedly forced to show the insurgents the way out of the area and then released.

Reuters was unable to verify the witness's account. Nigerian police and the regional education ministry denied any abductions had taken place, but parents and other witnesses also told Reuters some girls were missing.

The two sources, several parents and other local witnesses who spoke to Reuters did so on condition of anonymity because they had been warned by Nigerian security and government officials not to disclose the disappearance.

Seven parents told Reuters their daughters were among the missing.

"I hope my daughter is not one of those abducted as we learned that over ninety of them were not seen after going through their register book," one parent said.

The Boko Haram militants arrived in Dapchi on Monday evening in trucks, some mounted with heavy guns and painted in military camouflage, witnesses told Reuters.

They went directly to the school, shooting sporadically, sending students and teachers fleeing, the witnesses said, adding that some people had returned to Dapchi after spending the night hiding in the bush.

Yobe state Police Commissioner Sumonu Abdulmaliki on Tuesday told reporters Boko Haram had not abducted any girls in Dapchi.

"They fired shots and left the town toward Gaidam... in the night, where they abducted three people," he said.

The state ministry of education also said there had been no established case of abduction, but shut the Dapchi school for a week to allow students to be reunited with their families.

Late on Wednesday, Nigerian media outlets gave conflicting accounts of how many girls were missing and how many, if any, had been found.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million forced to flee their homes in the northeast of Africa's most populous nation since Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009.

Of around 270 girls originally abducted from their school in Chibok in April 2014, about 60 escaped soon afterwards and others have since been released after mediation. Around 100 are still believed to be in captivity.

Last month, the group released a video purporting to show some of the Chibok girls still in its custody, saying they do not wish to return home.

Aid groups say Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands more adults and children, many of whose cases are neglected.</s>The corpses of two missing Dapchi schoolgirls who were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists on Monday, in Yobe state, have been recovered by the Nigerian military.

Their bodies were recovered during rescue operation, according to Reuters.

Recall that Boko Haram terrorists had on Monday, attacked the Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe state, and abducted many of the girls, and ever since, several conflicting reports have emerged as to the true situation of the incident.

While Nigerian army claimed to have rescued 48 of the girls,the Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam on Thursday faulted the claim when he visited the affected families in Dapchi community, Yobe state on Thursday.

Governor Gaidam said “Until now, we have no certainly that these boys (Boko haram) have taken these girls.

“We should keep praying so that God reveal the whereabouts of the girls.

“We directed the soldiers and security personnel to go anywhere the girls are said to have been seen and find them. I am together with the GOC, Brig-Gen Garba.

“His men went to places that the girls were said to have been sighted but, for the past two days, wherever the troops go, they were only told that it was a convoy of Boko haram passing through the villages but they didn’t see any girls.”</s>The Nigerian military has rescued more than half of the 110-odd schoolgirls who went missing after the Islamist group Boko Haram launched an attack on a village in the northeastern state of Yobe. Though it was earlier suspected that the extremist group could have abducted dozens of them, it now emerges that many of them were simply unaccounted for as they fled to a nearby forest area when the attack took place.

On early Thursday, 22 February, as many as 76 schoolgirls were thought to have been rescued while the dead bodies of two others were found. Though the Nigerian military did not give an exact number, local reports put the number of those who returned so far at 76. It is yet to be independently confirmed whether any of the girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram when they launched the attack.

"The rescued girls are now in the custody of the Nigerian Army. We will provide more details about their number and condition in due course," said a statement released by the Yobe state government. Nigerian authorities are sometimes known to downplay the scale of such extremist attacks in the African nation.

A group of heavily armed Boko Haram insurgents mounted an attack on a secondary school on Monday, 19 February, forcing dozens of students and staff to flee. More than 800 of the 926 students reported back to school the following day leading to concerns that the remaining children could have been abducted.

This is primarily because of the mass abduction of Chibok schoolgirls carried out by the Islamist group in April 2017 when as many as 275 children were kidnapped and kept in custody for several months.

"Although we were told they had run to some villages, we have been to all these villages mentioned without any luck. We are beginning to harbour fears the worst might have happened," Abubakar Shehu, whose niece is still missing, told the AFP news agency. "We have the fear that we are dealing with another Chibok scenario."

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent three of his top ministers to Yobe to handle the situation while local authorities have been asked to step up their efforts. The government has pledged all necessary assistance to the victims and their family members. Yobe is among the three states in Nigeria severely affected by Boko Haram's armed insurgency.

Boko Haram is a Sunni Islamist group which aspires to impose a strict form of Sharia law in Nigeria but they have been largely driven out of territories with the help of neighbouring countries. The remaining militants still pose significant security challenges to the Nigerian forces.

The group has been blamed for more than 20,000 deaths and forced displacement of 2.6 million people ever since they launched an armed insurgency in 2009. Though the Nigerian government insists the military campaign against Boko Haram militants has been successful and they have been flushed out of their safe havens, violence in some areas continues to batter the region.</s>A day after Yobe State authorities said some schoolgirls reported missing after a Boko Haram attack had been rescued by Nigerian soldiers, the Defence Headquarters has told PREMIUM TIMES it has no such information.

“We cannot confirm” the statement by Yobe State that some of the girls have been rescued, Defence spokesperson, John Agim, told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday morning.

Suspected Boko Haram operatives on Monday evening stormed the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Bursari Local Government Area, Yobe State, a state government-owned school.

The insurgents reportedly carted away foodstuff and other valuables before kidnapping some of the girls at the school, according to witnesses.

Mr. Agim, a brigadier-general, said he could not give further details about the military’s intervention in the matter.

The comment, the first from the Nigerian military since the attack, comes as Nigerians and the international community press for more details of the incident.

Already, there are conflicting figures from the Yobe state government and the police about the number of girls that have not been found.

While the police told PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday afternoon that only 30 out of the total 906 students at the school could not be located, Yobe government said 50 girls were still missing as at the same time.

Yobe State said in another statement Wednesday night that some girls were rescued and were with the Nigerian Army. Tje statement did not give any figure.

“The Yobe State Government hereby informs the public that some of the girls at Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) whose school was attacked by Boko Haram terrorists last Monday have been rescued by gallant officers and men of the Nigerian Army from the terrorists who abducted them,” Abdullahi Bego, a Yobe government spokesperson, said in the statement.

“The rescued girls are now in the custody of the Nigerian Army,” he added.

But nearly 24 hours later, neither the military, which the state government said was in charge of the girls, nor the police could confirm that the girls were actually rescued from Boko Haram.

PREMIUM TIMES reached Yobe police commissioner, Sunmonu Abdulmaliki, but an aide who answered his phone said the police had no information about the rescue.

“There’s nothing we can confirm,” the aide said. He said the police would be working with a team of three ministers that President Muhammadu Buhari sent on Wednesday day to travel to Yobe.

“We hope that after the visit by the delegation, the picture would be clearer,” he added.

Mr. Bego did not immediately respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ requests for comments on why the military and the police could not corroborate his statement that some girls were rescued.

Some military sources who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday afternoon said some of the girls who were said to have been rescued could be those who fled the attack into nearby bushes.</s>Some of the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at Government Girls secondary school Dapchi in Yobe have been rescued by the army.

The Director General to Yobe governor on Press affairs, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, disclosed this in a press statement issued on Wednesday.

“The Yobe State Government hereby informs the public that some of the girls at Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) whose school was attacked by Boko Haram terrorists last Monday have been rescued by gallant officers and men of the Nigerian Army from the terrorists who abducted them.

“The rescued girls are now in the custody of the Nigerian Army.

“We will provide more details about their number and condition in due course.

“His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, who is very grateful for the gallantry and hard work of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army involved in the operation, is monitoring the situation closely and will make a statement in due course” the statement said.</s>Conflicting reports on missing school girls in Yobe State has stirred up concerns President Muhammadu Buhari government’s claim of defeating Boko Haram.

DAILY POST reported that 48 out of 98 girls Government Girls’ Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State missing were earlier rescued.

However, another report had it that other girls were reportedly rescued on Wednesday night at Jilli-Muwarti, a border village between Gaidam in Yobe state and Borno State.

It is still unclear how many of the girls they rescued and how many still missing.

Recall that the Nigerian military recently claimed that the sect had been completely defeated.

However, Some Nigerians seem to be of the opinion that the claimed victory over Boko Haram was a lie and mere propaganda by the present administration.

Others said the missing girls were part of APC 2019 propaganda.

Here are some comments:

@kunkeaddronmu “I thought boko haram have been defeated. So its all media jamboree. Nigerians what is the way forward?

@Kany10 “You can’t believe anything in this country. This is how they deceived us that Boko haram has been tactically defeated.

@somykhan “They will find the girls before 2019,to score political points but no boko would be caught or held responsible, this govt knows more about this insurgency

@jaync “Something fishy is happening! “Abducted on their way to a medical checkup” how did Boko Haram know exactly where to pick them up? And suddenly they’ve been found!! #fakenews #armyarrangement

@Mb. They told us they have defeated BH, that Shekeu(can’t spell d monster’s name) has escaped to Cameroon, that the army have taking over Sambisa n even constructing roads in it. But the question is where did this BH boys with all that ammunition to attack d school come from?

@chris chidi Useless govt. I thought the said Boko Haram has been defeated. What a wasteful 4 years u people have had so far

@yermiefash has technically defeated Boko Haram, in fact the Nigerian army have taken over sambisa forest, yet Boko Haram keeps kidnapping people and the Buhari government keeps paying millions of $ as ransom. Another 94 students are missing after Boko Haram attack in Yobe State.

@mrFtWe rushed to declare Boko Haram defeated. Now 94 girls are missing in Yobe after a fresh Boko Haram invasion! And while the Presidency remains silent on the issue, Lauretta Onochie has isssued a statement on Yusuf Buhari’s health… #AllLivesMatter

@Apoztl3 “And they said just recently with all optimism that BH menace is now history… What can this bunch of never do well’s ever get right</s>Yobe State government has confirmed that over 50 schoolgirls are missing from the Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) located in Dapchi, Headquarters of Bursari Local Government area of the state.

The girls went missing after gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists invaded the school days ago.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam in a statement made available to Channels Television on Wednesday, February 21 said since the day of invasion by the terrorists over 50 schoolgirls are still missing.

“Out of the 926 students in the school, over 50 are still unaccounted for as of the time of this statement.

“As the public is aware, the students were helped by their teachers to escape through the night to the surrounding bush and villages as the terrorists stormed the town last Monday,” Gaidam said.

Location of Dapchi on Google map.

 The statement which was signed by the Director-General Press Affairs of Gaidam, Abdullahi Bego said information was received about some of the girls being found in the general area to which they escaped.

It added further that the Yobe State Government has no credible information yet as to whether any of the schoolgirls were taken hostage by the terrorists but is currently working with the army and law enforcement to ensure that the missing girls are returned safely.

“The Yobe State Government is working with the Nigerian Army and other security and law enforcement agencies to ensure that all students in the school are fully accounted for,” Gaidam said in the statement.

Governor Gaidam, however, expresses sadness over the incident. He has since directed all relevant personnel and agencies to work closely with the army and other security organisations.

He, therefore, assured parents and the school community that the state government will do everything necessary to ensure that all the missing schoolgirls are found and returned to their school and families and that security is improved in the area.
The Nigerian military rescues 76 schoolgirls taken on Monday during a Boko Haram raid on the village of Dapchi, Yobe State. The bodies of two girls were recovered, and at least thirteen other students remain missing.