The Spokesman for Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari,Garba Shehu has confirmed that 21 out of over 200 Chibok girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram militants in 2014 have been released.
The girls were picked up by military helicopter from Banki area of Borno state where Boko Haram militants dropped them off earlier today.
According to a statement by Garba Shehu the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, has already briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the development.
He said that the release of the girls, in a limited number, is the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram, brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss Government.
The statement added that the President welcomes the release of the girls but cautioned Nigerians to be mindful of the fact that more than 30,000 fellow citizens were killed via terrorism.
The DSS DG told the President that he wanted the girls to have some rest, as all of them have returned very tired as a result of the rescue process, before he hands them over to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
Sources close to the Borno state government told Channels Television that some girls were brought to the Air Force Hospital in Maiduguri.
The girls are said to be undergoing screening at the Air Force Hospital in Maiduguri to determine their state of health as well as their profile.
