How 104 Dapchi girls, others were freed unconditionally-FG

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How 104 Dapchi girls, others were freed unconditionally-FG

By Udeme Clement & Silas Onuoha

The freed 104 Dapchi girls, one other girl and a boy assembled at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Maiduguri.

The Federal Government has declared that a total of 106 abducted persons, comprising 104 Daphi school girls, one other girl and a boy were freed by insurgents unconditionally.

Briefing Journalists in Maiduguri, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that all the 106 persons were freed unconditionally, contrary to reports in a section of the media that ransom was paid, and that some insurgents were swapped for the freed persons.

The Federal Government Delegation met the freed 104 Dapchi girls, one other girl and a boy at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Maiguduri

He stressed, ”It is not true that we paid ransom for the release of  Dapchi girls, neither was there a prisoner swap to secure their release”.

He explained, ”What happened was that the abduction itself was a breach of the ceasefire talks between the insurgents and the government.  So, it became a moral burden on the abductors. Any report that we paid ransom or engaged in prisoner swap is false.”

Accordingly, the freed persons have been formally handed over to the Federal Government.

The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, handed over the girls and one boy to the four-member Federal Government Delegation at the Nigerian Air Force base in Maiduguri on Wednesday evening.

The delegation comprised the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau (retired); the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hajia Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Hon. Goni Lawan Bukar, a member of House of Representatives from Dapchi.

The girls were immediately airlifted to Abuja aboard a military transport plane.

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