Africa News

Dozens of Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram freed

82 girls from Chibok in Nigeria who were kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram were freed, a spokesperson for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said

Updated May 7

82 girls from Chibok in Nigeria who were kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram were freed on Saturday, May 6, a spokesperson for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement.

STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT82 MORE CHIBOK GIRLS RELEASEDPresident Muhammadu Buhari is pleased to announce that…

Posted by Aso Rock Villa on Saturday, May 6, 2017

The statement said the girls were released in exchange for Boko Haram suspects detained by authorities. The BBC reported that two blindfolded men were taken in the convoy which met the girls in a remote forested area. The girls were then brought to Banki, in Borno state, near the border with Cameroon.

Earlier, an unnamed source told Sahara Reporters the freed girls were in Banki in Borno state, near the border with Cameroon.

Buhari’s statement expressed “deep gratitude” to various agencies involved in the release including the government of Switzerland, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and local and international NGOs.

The girls are due to arrive in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Sunday.
A group of 276 schoolgirls were abducted in north-eastern Nigeria three years ago. More than 50 girls quickly escaped, and a further 21 were released last October, after negotiations with the Red Cross. Before Saturday’s release, around 195 were still missing.

Last month, Grasswire spoke to UNICEF about abductions, and Boko Haram forcing girls to become suicide bombers in west Africa.

Boko Haram seeks to turn more girls into suicide bombers as world struggles to address West Africa crisis

 

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