BOKO HARAM RELEASES 21 CHIBOK GIRLS
“Twenty one of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist Boko Haram insurgents in April 2014 has been released to the Nigerian government” according to Sahara Reporters. The report claims that a government source disclosed that the girls were picked up by a military helicopter from Banki area of Borno state where the Boko Haram militants had dropped them off earlier today.
It will be recalled that Boko Haram abducted over 200 girls from their school in Chibok situated in Borno State two years ago. Till date, activists (notably amongst who is the Bring Back Our Girls Group) insist that only one girl has been rescued in the person of Amina Nkeki.
However, the Army however insists that another girl called Sarah Luka had been rescued days after Amina. Amina was subsequently flown to meet President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja with her baby.
After the news broke a few hours ago of the release of the girls, the activist group, Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), had said in a tweet they had seen the news about the release of 21 girls, even though unconfirmed, “This will be extremely happy news if true. We are monitoring,” their tweet read.
We keep our fingers crossed as very little can be said at the moment as there hasn’t been any official confirmation of the reports by the military or the Presidency – who recently called on the United Nations to join the Nigerian government as part of negotiations with the group to secure the release of the school girls abducted from the town of Chibok, two years ago.
The insurgents in a recent video have insisted that they are still strong and have the capacity to carry out attacks, despite the army’s position that their strength has waned and they are limited to the Sambisa forest.
We will bring you more details as they unfold.