Boko Haram frees 21 Chibok girls, BBOG hails Military

FG confirms release

Boko Haram insurgents, Thursday morning, handed 21 out of the 276 missing Chibok schoolgirls to the Nigerian government, a source with direct knowledge of the release revelaed to HotNews.

The Presidency has confirmed the release of 21 abducted Chibok schoolgirls by their abductors.

Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, announced the release on his twitter handle on Thursday.

Shehu said the released girls were in the custody of the Department of Security Services (DSS).

He said the Director-General of DSS, Malam Lawal Daura, had briefed Buhari on the development.

The girls, whose names are not readily available, remain in Maiduguri, the source added.

Recall that the militants abducted the 276 girls out of bed at a school in Chibok in northern Nigeria in April 2014.

BBOG hails Military
Meanwhile, the Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG, group immediately hailed the Nigerian military in an official statement it released on the Negotiated Release of 21 ChibokGirls.

The statement reads, "We welcome reports from the Presidential Spokesperson, Garba Shehu, of the negotiated release of 21 of our abducted #ChibokGirls today, Thursday.

"This wonderful development confirms what we have always known about the capacity of our government to rescue our #ChibokGirls.

"While awaiting further details, we take this opportunity to salute the work of our security services at the front lines - the commitment, resilience and tireless efforts of our members of the Multi-national Joint Task Force and the civilian JTF.

The statement signed Aisha Yesufu & Dr Oby Ezekwesilu added "We also thank the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss government and all negotiators involved in securing the release.

"Following this development, we trust that our government will continue to work to keep the safety, security, and well-being of the other girls a high priority.

"We further urge the international community to continue to support our government’s effort to rescue all other abducted Nigerians, so that parents, the Chibok community, the nation, and the world can finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all."