Boko Haram returns kidnapped school girls in Dapchi

Boko Haram returned 101 girls kidnapped from a high school compound in Dapchi a few weeks ago.

Dozens of schoolgirls from the northern Nigerian community of Dapchi were returned early Wednesday morning, dropped off by the same Boko Haram militants who kidnapped them more than a month ago.

The surprising turn of events was greeted with joy from parents whose daughters were safely returned, but the relief was tempered by suspicions that several girls had died, possibly of thirst, while in the hands of the militants. Some are apparently still being held.

Jauro Usman, a resident of Dapchi who is close to many of the parents of the kidnapped girls, said those who had been reunited were “very, very happy.”

“Boko Haram came themselves and dropped our daughters,” he said.

The girls were abducted on Feb. 19 sparking a new wave of international outrage. The abduction had come nearly four years after the Boko Haram similarly kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. At least 113 of the girls abducted in 2014 remain with their captors.

According to some local media reports, the February abduction had been carried out by the Abu Musab Al-Barnawi faction while the April 2014 Chibok abductions were by the Abubakar Shekau faction of the Boko Haram armed group.

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