LAGOS, Nigeria — Boko Haram extremists returned most of the 110 girls they kidnapped a month ago from their school in northeastern Nigeria, the Nigerian government said Wednesday.
Fighters from the militant group drove into the northern town of Dapchi in nine vans and dropped the girls off early Wednesday, just after Nigerian soldiers withdrew, said Alhaji Baba Shehu, a resident, and other witnesses.
"(Some) girls ran away to their home before being counted," he said. "Still, we are happy. God has answered our prayers and our daughters are back."
Nigeria’s government said 104 of the 110 schoolgirls were confirmed as freed.
The minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said no ransom was paid. He said the release was obtained through "back-channel efforts," after "a pause in operations" and with the help of "some friends of the country."
He said negotiations for the release of the remaining girls continue.
On Feb. 19, Boko Haram attacked the Government Girls Science Technical College attended by the girls, as part of its ongoing campaign to terrorize schools and villages. The group's name means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language.
As the extremists dropped off the girls Wednesday, they told residents: “This is a warning to you all,” the Associated Press reported. “We did it out of pity. And don’t ever put your daughters in school again.”
The government this week had already closed down boarding schools in the area out of fear of further kidnappings.
Parents on Wednesday headed for the town, hoping their child had been freed.
Hajiya Aisa Bukar, 35, said her daughter, Aisha Kachalla, was among those returned and took her to a hospital in Dapchi before the Nigerian military arrived. "I'm more than excited," Bukar said. "I'm so happy to be with my daughter."
Bukar said she saw the Boko Haram convoy of vans drop off the girls near the Dapchi market square. The militants were clearly unafraid and in control, she said.
