The governor of Nigeria’s Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle, has met a group of schoolgirls who were kidnapped last Friday at a boarding school.
The 279 girls were taken to the governor’s office in the state capital Gusau for debriefing.
Governor Matawalle told the BBC that the girls were released after negotiations with the gunmen.
He said no ransom was paid for their release. The authorities in Nigeria rarely admit paying ransom to kidnappers.
The governor has tweeted photos of his meeting with the freed captives.
Schools in Nigeria have increasingly come under attacks by armed groups, with more than 600 students abducted since December in three separate incidents as insecurity appears to be worsening across the country.
All the victims have been freed after negotiations with the abductors.
