110 Nigerian schoolgirls remain missing, search continues

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One hundred and ten schoolgirls remain unaccounted for following an attack by the Boko Haram on an all-girl college in the northeastern state of Yobe last Monday, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture said on Sunday.

"Out of the total register of 906 students in the school that day, 110 students are unaccounted," Lai Mohammed, the information minister said in an emailed statement.

The official said no stone will be left unturned as the government is determined to rescue every missing student.

Stepping-up rescue operation

Nigerian military on Sunday said it had conducted intensifying operations to locate the missing girls, deployed air assets including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.

"It is noteworthy that the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other security forces," Nigeria Air force spokesman Olatokunbo Adesanya said.

Over 100 girls still missing after Boko Haram attack on Nigeria school

Nigerian President: Boko Haram kidnapping of girls a 'national disaster'

Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack as "national disaster" and vowed to rescue the schoolgirls by sending more troops and surveillance aircraft to search for them.

Relatives are seen during a condolence visit to the mother of one of the abducted Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) Dapchi students in Jumbam Village, Yobe State, Nigeria February 24, 2018. / Reuters Photo‍

What happened?

Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram extremists attacked a village in northeastern Nigeria's state of Yobe on Feb. 19, invading the Government Science and Technical College (GGSTC).

Residents also recalled the militants stormed the town in pick-up trucks and a lorry, dressed in military fatigues and turbans, firing weapons and shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest").

Following the attack, Yobe state government said on Wednesday that dozens have been rescued by military force but retracted the statement one day later saying the girls were mostly accounted for.

Mass abduction after 2014 Chibok kidnapping

Recent abductions are one of the largest since 2014 when a number of 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a local high school in Chibok, Nigeria's Borno State by Boko Haram.

The case in 2014 has shocked the world and fueled a global social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls.

The outlawed Boko Haram group has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. They have killed some 20,000 people and displaced millions of others.

(With input from Xinhua)

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