NIGERIA
Relief and Suspicion
Nigerians reacted with a mixture of relief and suspicion after Boko Haram militants returned dozens of schoolgirls they’d kidnapped from the northern Nigerian community of Dapchi a little more than a month ago.
Relief, because the militants released at least 101 of the 110 girls who had been kidnapped, according to government officials. Suspicion, because it appears several girls may be dead, the New York Times reported.
With the government and military facing criticism over an alleged failure to act on warnings that preceded the abduction, Boko Haram may score a propaganda victory with the release, though a government statement claimed credit for negotiating their return “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country,” the paper said.
One of the released students said that five captives who had been in a weakened state from fasting had died in captivity, according to a local government worker, while media reports said five captives were crushed to death in overcrowded trucks.
The government has in the past secured the release of many previous victims by paying ransoms.
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