21 Chibok Girls were Successfully Released, Federal Government Reveals

The Federal Government has said it did not swap prisoners in exchange for the 21 released Chibok Girls.

Some of the 21 rescued Chibok Girls

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday revealed how the Federal Government negotiated the release of about 21 out of the more than 200 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram more than two years.

He said the release was as a result of trust and painstaking negotiations from both sides as he denied that the government exchanged prisoners for the girls.

“Please note that this is not a swap. It is a release, the product of painstaking negotiations and trust on both sides,” Lai Mohammed told reporters in Abuja, denying claims from local sources that the girls were freed in exchange for four Boko Haram prisoners.

“As soon as the necessary confidence was built on both sides, the parties agreed on the date and the location of the release of the 21 girls,” he added.

Mohammed further revealed that the government would continue to pursue the release of the remaining girls as he said that those freed would receive medical attention and care.

“We see this as a credible first step in the eventual release of all the Chibok girls in captivity. It is also a major step in confidence-building between us as a government and the Boko Haram leadership on the issue of the Chibok girls,” he said.

Mohammed said the government would release the names of the girls after contacting their parents and verifying their identities.