Boko Haram has freed several schoolgirls kidnapped from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno State.

While a section of the Nigerian media suggested that about 82 girls were released, Al-Jazeera’s, citing government sources, said only 62 were freed.

About 276 female students were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School on April 14, 2014. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped while being taken away while three others were found or rescued by the military.

On October 13, 2016, 21 girls were freed after the Swiss government and international Committee of Red Cross brokered a deal between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government.

The Nigerian government said in April it was collaborating with “foreign entities” to negotiate for the release of the remaining girls.

“Talks are ongoing through other means with the help of some foreign entities to free more schoolgirls,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said during an interview with BBC Hausa.

“These talks are going on with the help of some countries. You can recall the 21 schoolgirls were freed with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Swiss government officials who got involved in the negotiations. These two have not withdrawn their support in the negotiations,” Shehu said.

“There are also other countries that are lending support to the negotiations by being involved in the talks,” Shehu added.

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Also, Like us on facebook </s> LAGOS. — Eighty-two schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group have been released in exchange for the freedom of some Boko Haram suspects, the government said Saturday.

“President (Muhammadu) Buhari is pleased to announce that negotiations to release more of the Chibok girls have borne fruit with the release of 82 more girls today (Saturday) after months of patient negotiations.

“Our security agencies have taken back these abducted girls in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities,” said presidential spokesman Garba Shehu on Saturday. “The girls are due tomorrow (yesterday) in Abuja to be received by the president.

“The president expressed his deep gratitude to security agencies, the military, the government of Switzerland, the Red Cross, local and international NGOs for the success of the operation.”

A government source told Xinhua on Saturday that at least 82 out of the more than 200 Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 in Nigeria’s restive northeastern Borno State had been released.

The source said that the girls were released following negotiations between the extremist group and the Nigerian government. “Yes, 82 girls are freed and they are due to fly to Abuja from Banki town in Borno State,” the source said. “After lengthy negotiations, our security agencies have taken back these girls, in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities.”

AFP understands three Chadian nationals, allegedly senior commanders under Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, were handed over. — Xinhua/AFP/HR. </s> Abuja/Lagos— Boko Haram militants have released 82 schoolgirls out of a group of more than 200 whom they kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014 in exchange for prisoners, the presidency said on Saturday.

Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure the 82 girls in "lengthy negotiations", the presidency said on its Twitter account.

President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the girls on Sunday in the capital Abuja, it said, without saying how many Boko Haram suspects had been exchanged or disclosing other details.

A military source said the girls were currently in Banki near the Cameroon border for medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. From there they will be flown to Abuja.

The kidnapping was one of the high-profile incidents of Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast, now in its eighth year and with little sign of ending. About 220 were abducted from their school in a nighttime attack. </s> More than 80 Chibok schoolgirls released by Boko Haram arrive in Abuja

Boko Haram militants in Nigeria released dozens of abducted Chibok schoolgirls this week. The girls arrived in the capital of Abuja and are expected to be received by the president.

A government official said five Boko Haram commanders were freed to secure the release of the schoolgirls.

The released schoolgirls arrived at the Abuja airport and were driven away in a military convoy. They were found near the border town of Banki in Borno state, near Cameroon’s territory.

A Nigerian official said they secured the release of these 82 girls in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure their release after lengthy negotiations with the militant group.

The girls were welcomed by the Nigerian president’s chief of staff.

Around 276 girls were kidnapped in April 2014 by the militant group. Around 57 managed to escape, but more than 200 had remained missing for more than two years. </s> Several dozen Nigerian schoolgirls who were among more than 200 kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 have been released, Nigerian officials said Saturday, with unconfirmed reports that at least 80 have been freed.

"I can confirm they have been released," said a senior Nigerian government minister, who asked not to be identified, adding that an official statement would be released later.

The girls were reportedly released following negotiations with the government, though few details have been confirmed.

A military source said they were currently in Banki near the Cameroon border for medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

The kidnapping in Paril 2014 was one of the most high-profile incidents of Boko Haram's insurgency, now in its eighth year.

About 220 were abducted from their school in a night-time attack, prompting a global outcry and a huge social media campaign.

More than 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity prior to this release.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said last month the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Although the Chibok abduction is the most notorious case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.

The militants have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during their insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.

Despite the army saying the insurgency is on the run, large parts of the northeast, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants, and suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year. </s> ABUJA, Nigeria - The 82 Nigerian schoolgirls recently released after more than three years in Boko Haram captivity reunited with their families Saturday as anxious parents looked for signs of how deeply the extremists had changed their daughters’ lives.

Brightly dressed families rushed through the crowd in the capital, Abuja, and embraced. One small group sank to their knees, with a woman raising her hands as if praising in church. Some danced. Others were in tears.

“I am really happy today, I am Christmas and new year, I am very happy and I thank God,” said mother Godiya Joshua, whose daughter Esther was among those freed.

This month’s release was the largest liberation of hostages since 276 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted from their boarding school in 2014. Five commanders from the extremist group were exchanged for the girls’ freedom, and Nigeria’s government has said it would make further exchanges to bring the 113 remaining schoolgirls home.

“Our joy is never complete until we see the complete 113, because one Chibok girl matters to all Chibok people,” said a parent of one of the freed schoolgirls, Yahi Bwata.

Many of the girls, most of them Christians, were forced to marry extremists and have had children. Some have been radicalized and have refused to return. It is feared that some have been used in suicide bombings.

The mass abduction in April 2014 brought international attention to Boko Haram’s deadly insurgency in northern Nigeria, and it launched a global Bring Back Our Girls campaign that drew the backing of some celebrities, including former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama. Thousands have been kidnapped during the extremists’ eight-year insurgency, and more than 20,000 have been killed.

The release of the 82 schoolgirls this month came after an initial group of 21 girls was released in October. Nigeria’s government has acknowledged negotiating with Boko Haram for their release, with mediation help from the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The two groups of freed schoolgirls reunited earlier Saturday, Nigeria’s Channels TV reported, showing the young women laughing and embracing.

Since the latest release, many families in the remote Chibok community had been waiting for word on whether their daughters were among them. A government list of names circulated, and parents were asked to confirm the freed girls’ identities through photos.

Both groups of freed girls have been in government care in the capital as part of a nine-month reintegration program that President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will oversee personally. But human rights groups have criticized the government for keeping the young women so long in the capital, far from their homes. </s> MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian officials say 21 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram extremists more than two years ago have been freed.

Presidential spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu tweeted Thursday that the girls are in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services.

He said the release is a result of negotiations between the government and Boko Haram, brokered by the Swiss government and the International Red Cross. He said negotiations will continue.

The abduction of 276 schoolgirls in April 2014 brought international condemnation of Boko Haram, Nigeria’s home-grown Islamic extremist group. Dozens of the girls escaped, but most remain missing.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has said the girls would only be released if the government swaps them for detained extremist leaders. </s> Twenty one of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants have been freed, officials said on Thursday.

The freed girls, the first to be released as a result of government action, are in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services and secret intelligence agency, according to spokesman Garba Shehu.

“We are extremely delighted and grateful,” said the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ movement on Facebook. The group, which has campaigned within Nigeria and internationally for the release of the students, said it awaits the names of the released girls.

Fighters swapped for schoolgirls

 

 A Nigerian military source said four detained Boko Haram leaders have been freed in exchange for the release of the schoolgirls.

The abduction of the schoolgirls in April 2014 and the government’s failure to quickly free them had caused international outrage and brought Boko Haram, Nigeria’s home-grown militant group, to the world’s attention.

Dozens of the girls escaped on their own, but most remain missing.

April 2014: Boko Haram extremists kidnap 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northern Nigeria, the region where the insurgency emerged several years ago.

May 2015: New President Muhammadu Buhari is sworn in, pledges to tackle Boko Haram “head-on”.

April 13, 2016: Boko Haram video appears to show some of the Chibok girls and tearful mothers recognise their daughters.

May 18, 2016: Relative says one of the Chibok girls is found, pregnant, in a forest; pressure grows on Nigeria’s government to rescue the others.

August 14, 2016: Boko Haram video says some Chibok girls killed in airstrikes, demands release of extremists in exchange for other girls’ freedom.

October 13, 2016: Spokesman for Nigeria’s President confirms 21 Chibok girls have been freed, a result of government negotiations with Boko Haram. </s> ABUJA/MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Boko Haram militants have released 82 schoolgirls out of a group of more than 200 whom they kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok three years ago in exchange for prisoners, the presidency said on Saturday.

A group of 82 Chibok girls, who were held captive for three years by Islamist militants, wait to be released in exchange for several militant commanders, near Kumshe, Nigeria May 6, 2017. REUTERS/Zanah Mustapha

Around 270 girls were kidnapped in April 2014 by the Islamist militant group, which has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than two million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeastern Nigeria.

Dozens escaped in the initial melee, but more than 200 remained missing for more than two years.

Nigeria thanked Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross for helping secure the release of the 82 girls after “lengthy negotiations”, the presidency said in a statement.

President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the girls on Sunday afternoon in the capital Abuja, it said, without saying how many Boko Haram suspects had been exchanged or disclosing other details.

A military source said the girls were brought on Sunday morning from Banki near the Cameroon border to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state where the insurgency started.

The release of the girls may give a boost to Buhari who has hardly appeared in public since returning from Britain in March for treatment of an unspecified illness.

He made crushing the insurgency a pillar of his election campaign in 2015.

The army has retaken most of the territory initially lost to the militants but attacks and suicide bombings by the group have made it nearly impossible for displaced persons to return to their recaptured hometowns.

“The President directed the security agencies to continue in earnest until all the Chibok girls have been released and reunited with their families,” the presidency said.

INSECURITY

More than 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity.

Buhari said last month that the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.

Although the army has retaken much of the territory initially lost to Boko Haram, large parts of the northeast, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants. Suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year.

Some 4.7 million people in northeast Nigeria depend on food aid, some of which is blocked by militant attacks, some held up by a lack of funding and some, diplomats say, stolen before it can reach those in need.

Slideshow (4 Images)

Millions of Nigerians may soon be in peril if the situation deteriorates, as authorities expect, when the five-month rainy season begins in May and makes farming impossible in areas that are now accessible.

This part of Nigeria is the western edge of an arc of hunger stretching across the breadth of Africa through South Sudan, Somalia and into Yemen on the Arabian peninsula. The United Nations believes as many as 20 million people are in danger in what could become the world’s worst famine for decades.
Nigerian officials report, as a result of negotiations, Boko Haram has released an estimated 82 schoolgirls who were among about 220 kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok in Borno State in April 2014.