Nigeria says 21 abducted Chibok schoolgirls released in exchange – Girls swapped for detainees, ransom or both ? — reports

This news has been read 6977 times!

One of the 21 freed Chibok girls cries while holding her baby as Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo looks on at his office in Abuja on Oct 13. Jihadist group Boko Haram has freed 21 of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped more than two years ago, raising hopes for the release of the others, officials said Thursday. Local sources said their release was part of a prisoner swap with the Nigerian government, but the authorities denied doing a deal with Boko Haram. (AFP)
One of the 21 freed Chibok girls cries while holding her baby as Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo looks on at his office in Abuja on Oct 13. Jihadist group Boko Haram has freed 21 of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped more than two years ago, raising hopes for the release of the others, officials said Thursday. Local sources said their release was part of a prisoner swap with the Nigerian government, but the authorities denied doing a deal with Boko Haram. (AFP)

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Oct 14, (AP): Twenty-one of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago were freed Thursday in a swap for detained leaders of the Islamic extremist group, government and military officials said, the first release since nearly 300 girls were taken captive in a case that provoked international outrage.

The freed girls, some carrying babies, were released before dawn and placed in the custody of the Department of State Services, Nigeria’s secret intelligence agency. In photos released by the government, the former captives, most now young women, appeared gaunt and exhausted. The government “wants the girls to have some rest,” said presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, adding that “all of them are very tired.” Some 197 captives remain missing, though some reportedly have died.

“We are extremely delighted and grateful,” said the Bring Back Our Girls movement, which campaigned in Nigeria and internationally for the release of the girls, most of whom were teenagers when they were seized in April 2014 from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok. Meanwhile, conflicting reports emerged Friday about whether the first negotiated release of some Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2014 involved a ransom payment, a prisoner swap for Islamic extremist commanders, or both. A Nigerian hostage negotiator who was not involved in Thursday’s release told The Associated Press a “handsome ransom” in the millions of dollars was paid by Switzerland’s government on behalf of Nigerian authorities. He said the Swiss would recoup the money from some $321 million it had said it would repatriate to Nigeria this year from frozen funds looted under former military dictator Sani Abacha. Swiss officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment after confirming Thursday that they had played a neutral, humanitarian role in the operation. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that it had received 21 Chibok girls from Boko Haram and handed them over to Nigerian authorities. Nigerian authorities have said negotiations continue for the release of the remaining 197 missing girls, though at least half a dozen are reported to have died of illnesses.

Two military officers told the AP the 21 girls were swapped for four detained Boko Haram leaders. The hostage negotiator and officers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Nigerian officials deny any swap. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said “there was no exchange of any kind … No such thing took place.” He did not mention a ransom. Some parents of the freed girls on Friday were making their way to Abuja, the capital, where the girls were flown Thursday, to be reunited with their daughters. At least 23 parents of the kidnapped girls have died since their abduction, some from stress-related illnesses and others in Boko Haram attacks. More than 20,000 people have died and 2.6 million have been driven from their homes in Boko Haram’s seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state across the West African oil producer, whose 170 million people are divided almost equally between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.

This news has been read 6977 times!

Related Articles

Back to top button

Advt Blocker Detected

Kindly disable the Ad blocker

Verified by MonsterInsights