At least 62 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram released

Dozens of schoolgirls in Nigeria have been released more than three years after they were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants, according to multiple reports on Saturday.

The Associated Press, citing a Nigerian government official, put the number of girls released at 62, while CNN and Reuters reported that the number of released girls could be as many as 82.

The girls were undergoing medical examinations before being taken to Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria, Reuters reported, citing a military source.

{mosads}

Boko Haram, an Islamic State affiliate in West Africa, kidnapped 276 girls from their school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014 during a nighttime attack. Twenty-one girls were released last October, and others escaped soon after they were abducted.

But before the massive release on Saturday, 195 were still said to be with Boko Haram. 

The mass abduction garnered international attention at the time and spurred the widespread use of the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls on social media.

The militant group has waged an eight-year insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in an effort to establish an Islamic caliphate in the region. The insurgency has left more than 20,000 people dead and another 2 million displaced from their homes, the AP noted.