Government officials have pointed out that after girls were stolen in Chibok, the administration of Nigeria’s president at the time, Goodluck Jonathan, waited more than two weeks to acknowledge the kidnapping, a delay they said allowed militants to flee with the girls. This time, they said, the military has already been deployed and is combing Yobe State, where Dapchi is.

Confusion has surrounded the events in Dapchi, said Lai Mohammed, the minister of information, because dozens of girls ran into hiding and have been slowly trickling back to the school.

“This is why the whole situation has been hazy,” he said.

Officials have been careful to avoid acknowledging anyone was kidnapped in Dapchi. Instead, they say only that the girls are missing.

Witnesses, however, described seeing the girls in militants’ vehicles as part of what appeared to be a deliberate plan to steal them. And they said militants arrived at the town looking specifically for the building, which is a boarding place with about 900 students.

One resident who lives a mile outside Dapchi, who asked that his name not be used because he feared for his safety, said his neighbor was outside his home late in the day on Monday when militants pulled up, grabbed him and asked him to point them to the school. He told the fighters he didn’t know where it was and begged to be released. They threw him aside and headed toward the town.

Other residents were also abducted by the militants and ordered to direct them to the school before being released, townspeople said.