Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed did not confirm the whereabouts of the remaining six girls,but said those who were freed had been identified. In addition to the schoolgirls,a further girl and a boy were released.
Mohammed denied reports that a ransom had been paid or that a prisoner swap-deal was reached to secure their release.
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The government had conducted back-channel negotiations with Boko Haram that resulted in a"nonviolent approach"to their release,Mohammed said in a statement. The girls were brought back by a group of militants in a convoy.
"An operational pause was observed in certain areas to ensure free passage and also that lives were not lost,"the minister added.
Garba Shehu,an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari,said the girls -ranging in age from 11 to 19 - had been returned to Yobe state by Boko Haram militants and that they were receiving medical attention.
The girls were then airlifted to the capital Abuja aboard a military transport plane.