The 279 girls were kidnapped on Friday by armed men who invaded their state school in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara state, a senior government official with knowledge of the incident told CNN.
Yusuf Idris, a spokesman for the regional governor, said on Tuesday that the girls were safely returned and all were arrested. He made no comment when asked whether a ransom was paid for his release.
The kidnapping of girls is the latest in a series of similar kidnapping cases in Nigeria. At least 42 people were kidnapped from a state school last month and then released, and more than 300 students were arrested and then released in December.
These incidents raised questions about the safety of schools in northern parts of Nigeria.
In a statement released on social media on Friday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said the kidnapping of the girls was “inhuman and totally unacceptable”.
“This government will not succumb to the blackmail of gangsters who target innocent students in the expectation of huge ransom payments,” Buhari said in a statement, released by his official spokesman.