Eighty-two more Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped from their school dormitory in Chibok in April 2014 by Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram have been freed a government official confirms on Saturday, May 6, 2017.
This news comes as the nation is fixated on the failing health of President Muhammadu Buhari who disclosed weeks ago that he was “personally in touch with Boko Haram” to secure the release of the Chibok schoolgirls.
According to a military source, a 2nd batch of 80 of the schoolgirls have been freed are are in Banki Town in Borno State awaiting airlifting to another location.
The first batch of 21 were freed last October in a cash swap that officials continue to deny. Two other girls walked into freedom on their own, making grand total of 105 girls freed from the clutches of Boko Haram.
‘They are now at Banki, a border town and will be flown to Abuja on Sunday”, a government source told NAN Saturday night. “The story is authentic.”
The Bring Back Our Girls(#BBOG) Campaigners in a statement Saturday night also hinted about the release of the girls, although they said they were awaiting official confirmation.
“We have been made aware of the yet-to-be-confirmed news that a number of our missing 195 Chibok girls in captivity have been released through negotiation”, said Sesugh Akume, spokesperson for BBOG.
“It would be recalled that in October last year when the 21 were released, the federal government, specifically the Presidency said that 83 more were ‘on their way’.
“We await official confirmation from the Federal Government and a release of their names. We shall go to work to confirm the news to verify its authenticity, and communicate same to the public.
“Our hopes and expectations are high as we look forward to this news being true and confirmed”.
It is unclear what the terms of their freedom is or whether a ransom was paid at this time.
Over 200 girls were kidnapped from Chibok Girls Secondary School on April 14, 2014. The abduction became a major talking point in the 2015 presidential campaign with then, candidate Buhari promising to return the girls home in 3 months of his presidency.
Additional reports by NAN.
