The Nigerian government of President Muhammadu Buhari has confirmed that it swapped the newly freed 82 Chibok girls with some high profile Boko Haram terrorists held by the country’s security agencies. Mr. Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu said this in a statement on Sunday. He revealed that the girls were exchanged for some Boko Haram “suspects”. But did not state the number or names of the Boko Haram “suspects” exchanged for the girls.
It is important to note that the girls were not exchanged for Boko Haram “suspects” as the government claims, rather for high-profile Boko Haram fighters. If those released were not members of Boko Haram, and important ones for that matter, the sect would not have pressed for their release.
In any case, Mr. Shehu confirmed that the girls have been released on Saturday and that they would arrive Abuja on Sunday (today) to be received by President Buhari personally.
Mr. Shehu said, “President Muhammadu Buhari expresses his deep gratitude to all who played a part in ensuring the success of this operation, as follows: Security agencies, the military, the Government of Switzerland, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and local and international NGOs.”
The statement further said that the president was committed to ensuring the safe return of the Chibok girls, and all other Boko Haram captives.
The released 82 girls are among the about 300 Chibok school girls, who were abducted from their dormitories in a public secondary school in Chibok, Borno State in April 2014 as they were about to write their final exams.
With this latest release, about 80 Chibok schoolss girls are estimated to still be in Boko Haram’s captivity, assuming that they are all still alive.
21 had been released in October 2016 following negotiations between Boko Haram and Buhari’s government. Two other girls were reported to have been separately found.
A handful of the girls had also escaped on the night they were forcibly taken from their school hostels.
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