5 remaining abducted Nigerian schoolgirls feared dead: local media

ABUJA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Five of the 110 abducted schoolgirls who are yet to be released by terror group Boko Haram may have died while in captivity in Nigeria's northeastern region, local media widely reported on Thursday.

The five girls were believed to have died in a stampede on Feb. 19 when Boko Haram forcefully took the students away from an all-girl college in the northeastern town of Dapchi, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported.

The majority of the schoolgirls were released by Boko Haram on Wednesday after one month in captivity.

Quoting one of the released girls, the local media said the five deceased students were buried in the bush by the Boko Haram group.

A total of 104 schoolgirls were brought back to Dapchi by the terror group following a negotiation with the government, officials said.

Another girl and a boy were also freed along with the 104 schoolgirls, said Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture of Nigeria.

Local media on Thursday reported that another girl was withheld by Boko Haram "for not renouncing her Christian faith."

The father of the girl has also confirmed that his daughter was not released by the terror group because "she vehemently insisted on being a Christian."

The Nigerian government said it cannot ascertain the death of any girl for now.

The 104 schoolgirls and the two others who regained freedom early Wednesday were airlifted to the Nigerian capital city of Abuja through a military transport plane.

Dapchi, where the kidnapping took place a month ago, is located 100 kilometers from Damaturu, the capital of the northern state of Yobe.

Boko Haram is a Jihadist militant organization based in northeastern Nigeria. The United Nations believes Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 innocent people since 2009 through terror attacks. Enditem