Boko Haram releases 21 Chibok girls following deal with government
The Nigerian government confirmed that 21 Chibok schoolgirls were released last Thursday as a result of its negotiations with the militant group Boko Haram.
According to CNN, the girls were released before dawn in the town of Banki, close to the Cameroon border. The Nigerian President's office reported that the militants also released a baby who was born to one of the girls.
"We see this as a credible first step in the eventual release of all the Chibok girls in captivity," said Nigerian Information Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a statement to reporters.
An unnamed source who had knowledge of the negotiations said no militants were freed in exchange for the 21 girls. However, a security source claimed that five militants have been released as part of the deal.
"Five top commanders of the Boko Haram were traded for the released Chibok girls," the source told Punch.
"Those released are not among those earlier released by the military in the North-East on October 1, 2016. These ones are confirmed Boko Haram commanders, who have been in the custody of the DSS," the security source added.
Mohammed insisted that the release was "not a swap" but a result of painstaking negotiations.
According to officials, the freed girls met with the governor of Borno state before they were taken to the city of Abuja. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo welcomed the girls with hugs when they arrived.
"Dawn, dusk, almost a 1000 days. Twenty-one of our girls are back. It is my joy to welcome you home. The nation has been waiting for you," Osinbajo wrote on Twitter.
Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014. After a few months, 57 girls managed to escape. The group released several videos showing that the girls are still alive. Last August, the militants published a video stating that some of the girls have been killed in air strikes.
