Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls seized three years ago by the Nigerian rebel group Boko Haram have been released, with authorities saying hopes are high a further mass release will soon follow.
The release came on Saturday local time, some three years after their mass abduction brought the Islamic extremist group’s rampage to world attention.
The girls met Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence on Monday morning (AEST), a day after his government announced their release in exchange for five Boko Haram suspects.
“I cannot express in a few words how happy I am to welcome our dear girls back to freedom,” President Bhuhari said.
“On behalf of all Nigerians, I will like to share my joy with you,” he told the girls, who were seen clapping, according to an official footage released of the meeting.
Family members said they were eagerly awaiting a list of names and “our hopes and expectations are high”.
Their meeting with the President apparently took place before they were reunited with their parents and relatives.
It is the second group of captives to be set free after the release of 21 girls turned over to authorities after negotiations last October. News reports have quoted Boko Haram as another 83 girls would be released “very soon”.
Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure the girls in “lengthy negotiations”, the presidency said on its Twitter account.
The girls flew Sunday to the Nigerian capital of Abuja from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, where they spent the night after their release Saturday from a town near the Cameroon border.
The girls were driven in a military convoy to the State House to meet President Muhammadu Buhari, Africanews.com reported.
Before Saturday’s release, 195 of the girls had remained captive.
“Huge numbers,” the personal assistant to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, tweeted late on Saturday.
My remarks this evening, when I received 82 of our daughters who have just regained their freedom from Boko Haram—https://t.co/1EJpqajzXW pic.twitter.com/GvATCpJrZj
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) May 7, 2017
A Nigerian military official with direct knowledge of the rescue operation said the 82 freed girls were found where they had been left near the town of Banki in Borno state near Cameroon.
“The location of the girls kept changing since yesterday when the operation to rescue them commenced,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to make the announcement.
The 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok in April 2014 are among thousands of people abducted by Boko Haram over the years. Amnesty International celebrated the 82 girls’ liberation but pleaded with media organisations not to harass them as they put their ordeal behind them.
4. While appreciating efforts that lead to the release of the #ChibokGirls, protecting their PRIVACY is crucial to reintegrating them.
— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) May 6, 2017
First-hand accounts of the girls’ ordeal by those released last year confirmed all the worst fears of their treatment. Some had died in child birth after being taken as “brides” by Boko Haram fighters, while others lost their lives when caught in crossfire between the militants and government troops.
Human rights advocates believe others could have been used to carry out suicide bombings.
The mass abduction shocked the world, sparking a global #Bringbackourgirls campaign supported by former US first lady Michelle Obama and other celebrities. It has put tremendous pressure on Nigeria’s government to counter the extremist group, which has roamed large parts of the north and into neighbouring countries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZDhUTO-mQ
Many of the kidnapped girls, most of whom were Christians, were forced to marry the Islamic extremists and became pregnant. Human rights advocates believe others could be among the young girls who have been used to carry out suicide bombing attacks.
The group representing the families of the girls said they were awaiting direct confirmation from the government.
“This is a very, very exciting news for us that we have over 80 of our girls coming back again,” said Bukky Shonibare with the (hash)BringBackOurGirls campaign.
– With Agencies
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