In this Thursday, June 6, 2013 file photo Nigerian soldiers stand guard at the offices of the state-run Nigerian Television Authority in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Maiduguri, Nigeria:
The Nigerian military admitted on Friday that most of the 129 girls abducted by Boko Haram Islamists in a shocking school raid in the country's restive northeast remained missing.
A security source said there were fears the girls were being used as human shields or sex slaves by the Islamists.
The military had claimed on Wednesday that all but eight of the girls snatched from their school in the state of Borno managed to escape the gunmen's clutches, contrary to comments by the state government and the school principal. (Read: More than 100 kidnapped students set free in Nigeria)
"The defence headquarters wishes to defer to the school principal and governor's statement on the number of students still missing," defence ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement.
He said vigilante groups and hunters were assisting the authorities in the frantic search for the girls, who were grabbed from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Chibok area of Borno late Monday.
Borno state education commissioner said that 30 girls had now escaped from the Islamists.
"At the moment we have taken custody of 30 girls," Mallam Inuwa Kubo said in a statement.
"The aim is for us to take proper account of our 129 students who were at the hostel on the day of that unfortunate attack," he said.
"By our records, of 129 students at the hostel at the time of that unfortunate incident, we are expecting the return of about 99 students." (Read: Islamists abduct more than 100 girls from Nigeria school)
The mass abduction sparked global outrage and came just hours after the deadliest attack to hit the capital Abuja, where a bomb blast also blamed on Boko Haram killed at least 75 people.
- Parents scour bush -
Boko Haram's extremist uprising, aimed at creating a strict Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has killed thousands of people since 2009.
Parents of the missing girls swarmed the home of Chibok's tribal chief on Thursday, demanding answers after the military claimed the girls were free, residents said.
Others decided to scour the remote area in a desperate search for girls who may have escaped. "Some of our parents are even combing the bush," Kwambura said, adding that families had pooled money to buy fuel for motorcycles and other vehicles to help with the search.
Boko Haram's name loosely translates as "Western education is forbidden" and the group has repeatedly attacked schools and universities.
Students have been massacred in their dormitories and bombs set off at university campuses, but the mass abduction specifically targeting girls is unprecedented.
A top security officer said the girls might have been abducted by the Islamists to serve as human shields, domestic helpers and sex slaves.
"The terrorists are desperate for survival. The military offensive is taking a heavy toll on their rank and file," the officer, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
"The female hostages are being used as shield during battles with the military. Some serve as cooks and many more as sex slaves," he said.
Borno's governor has offered a 50 million naira ($300,000, 216,000 euro) reward to anyone with information leading to the return of the schoolgirls.
President Goodluck Jonathan met his security chiefs on Thursday to review the latest unrest and another security meeting has been set for next week.
Violence by Boko Haram insurgents has cost more than 1,500 lives already this year, the deadliest stretch in the five-year uprising.
A security source said there were fears the girls were being used as human shields or sex slaves by the Islamists.
The military had claimed on Wednesday that all but eight of the girls snatched from their school in the state of Borno managed to escape the gunmen's clutches, contrary to comments by the state government and the school principal. (Read: More than 100 kidnapped students set free in Nigeria)
"The defence headquarters wishes to defer to the school principal and governor's statement on the number of students still missing," defence ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement.
He said vigilante groups and hunters were assisting the authorities in the frantic search for the girls, who were grabbed from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Chibok area of Borno late Monday.
Borno state education commissioner said that 30 girls had now escaped from the Islamists.
"At the moment we have taken custody of 30 girls," Mallam Inuwa Kubo said in a statement.
"The aim is for us to take proper account of our 129 students who were at the hostel on the day of that unfortunate attack," he said.
"By our records, of 129 students at the hostel at the time of that unfortunate incident, we are expecting the return of about 99 students." (Read: Islamists abduct more than 100 girls from Nigeria school)
The mass abduction sparked global outrage and came just hours after the deadliest attack to hit the capital Abuja, where a bomb blast also blamed on Boko Haram killed at least 75 people.
- Parents scour bush -
Boko Haram's extremist uprising, aimed at creating a strict Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has killed thousands of people since 2009.
Parents of the missing girls swarmed the home of Chibok's tribal chief on Thursday, demanding answers after the military claimed the girls were free, residents said.
Others decided to scour the remote area in a desperate search for girls who may have escaped. "Some of our parents are even combing the bush," Kwambura said, adding that families had pooled money to buy fuel for motorcycles and other vehicles to help with the search.
Boko Haram's name loosely translates as "Western education is forbidden" and the group has repeatedly attacked schools and universities.
Students have been massacred in their dormitories and bombs set off at university campuses, but the mass abduction specifically targeting girls is unprecedented.
A top security officer said the girls might have been abducted by the Islamists to serve as human shields, domestic helpers and sex slaves.
"The terrorists are desperate for survival. The military offensive is taking a heavy toll on their rank and file," the officer, who did not want to be named, told AFP.
"The female hostages are being used as shield during battles with the military. Some serve as cooks and many more as sex slaves," he said.
Borno's governor has offered a 50 million naira ($300,000, 216,000 euro) reward to anyone with information leading to the return of the schoolgirls.
President Goodluck Jonathan met his security chiefs on Thursday to review the latest unrest and another security meeting has been set for next week.
Violence by Boko Haram insurgents has cost more than 1,500 lives already this year, the deadliest stretch in the five-year uprising.
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