Four Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram last month have escaped, an education commissioner for Borno state said on Wednesday.
Commissioner Musa Inuwa declined to give details on the escape but said the girls have been reunited with their parents.
The girls were taking tests at a Chibok village school on April 14 when gunmen with Islamist radical group surrounded them and abducted 276 girls. Fifty-three escaped shortly afterwards, said Borno state authorities.
A local government official claimed that the four girls who just returned home had become ill and actually were released by the group, according to the Premium Times.
Leaders of Boko Haram, which is opposed to Western culture, have appeared on video demanding the release of militant prisoners in exchange for the school kids.
Nigerian military officials claim they know where the missing girls are but won’t attempt to rescue them out of fear the violent group will kill them.
“We can’t go and kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back,” said Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Alex Badeh.
Conflicting reports behind Tuesday’s escape have emerged, with Nigerian newspaper Premium Times reporting that Boko Haram released the four girls after they became ill.
The extremist group has terrorized Nigerian civilians in recent weeks, abducting 11 more girls in early May, blowing up bridges and killing villagers.