ABUJA: Boko Haram jihadists have released 76 of the 110 schoolgirls who were abducted from the northeastern town of Dapchi in February, the government said in a statement yesterday, reports AFP.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed said “the 76 are those who have been documented”, adding that the release of the abducted students “is ongoing”.

The schoolgirls were returned to Dapchi by Boko Haram early yesterday morning following negotiations between the Nigerian government and the militant group. “The girls were released around 3:00 am (0200 GMT) through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country,” said Mohammed, without elaborating.

The number of freed girls may increase “because the girls were not handed over to anyone but dropped off in Dapchi,” he said.