ABUJA/MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Boko Haram militants have released 82 schoolgirls out of a group of more than 200 whom they kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok three years ago in exchange for prisoners, the presidency said on Saturday.

A group of 82 Chibok girls, who were held captive for three years by Islamist militants, wait to be released in exchange for several militant commanders, near Kumshe, Nigeria May 6, 2017. REUTERS/Zanah Mustapha

Around 270 girls were kidnapped in April 2014 by the Islamist militant group, which has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than two million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeastern Nigeria.

Dozens escaped in the initial melee, but more than 200 remained missing for more than two years.

Nigeria thanked Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross for helping secure the release of the 82 girls after “lengthy negotiations”, the presidency said in a statement.

President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the girls on Sunday afternoon in the capital Abuja, it said, without saying how many Boko Haram suspects had been exchanged or disclosing other details.

A military source said the girls were brought on Sunday morning from Banki near the Cameroon border to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state where the insurgency started.

The release of the girls may give a boost to Buhari who has hardly appeared in public since returning from Britain in March for treatment of an unspecified illness.

He made crushing the insurgency a pillar of his election campaign in 2015.

The army has retaken most of the territory initially lost to the militants but attacks and suicide bombings by the group have made it nearly impossible for displaced persons to return to their recaptured hometowns.

“The President directed the security agencies to continue in earnest until all the Chibok girls have been released and reunited with their families,” the presidency said.

INSECURITY

More than 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity.

Buhari said last month that the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.

Although the army has retaken much of the territory initially lost to Boko Haram, large parts of the northeast, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants. Suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year.

Some 4.7 million people in northeast Nigeria depend on food aid, some of which is blocked by militant attacks, some held up by a lack of funding and some, diplomats say, stolen before it can reach those in need.

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Millions of Nigerians may soon be in peril if the situation deteriorates, as authorities expect, when the five-month rainy season begins in May and makes farming impossible in areas that are now accessible.

This part of Nigeria is the western edge of an arc of hunger stretching across the breadth of Africa through South Sudan, Somalia and into Yemen on the Arabian peninsula. The United Nations believes as many as 20 million people are in danger in what could become the world’s worst famine for decades.</s>Abuja/Lagos— Boko Haram militants have released 82 schoolgirls out of a group of more than 200 whom they kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014 in exchange for prisoners, the presidency said on Saturday.

Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure the 82 girls in "lengthy negotiations", the presidency said on its Twitter account.

President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the girls on Sunday in the capital Abuja, it said, without saying how many Boko Haram suspects had been exchanged or disclosing other details.

A military source said the girls were currently in Banki near the Cameroon border for medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. From there they will be flown to Abuja.

The kidnapping was one of the high-profile incidents of Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast, now in its eighth year and with little sign of ending. About 220 were abducted from their school in a nighttime attack.</s>More than 80 Chibok schoolgirls released by Boko Haram arrive in Abuja

Boko Haram militants in Nigeria released dozens of abducted Chibok schoolgirls this week. The girls arrived in the capital of Abuja and are expected to be received by the president.

A government official said five Boko Haram commanders were freed to secure the release of the schoolgirls.

The released schoolgirls arrived at the Abuja airport and were driven away in a military convoy. They were found near the border town of Banki in Borno state, near Cameroon’s territory.

A Nigerian official said they secured the release of these 82 girls in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners. Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure their release after lengthy negotiations with the militant group.

The girls were welcomed by the Nigerian president’s chief of staff.

Around 276 girls were kidnapped in April 2014 by the militant group. Around 57 managed to escape, but more than 200 had remained missing for more than two years.</s>LAGOS. — Eighty-two schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group have been released in exchange for the freedom of some Boko Haram suspects, the government said Saturday.

“President (Muhammadu) Buhari is pleased to announce that negotiations to release more of the Chibok girls have borne fruit with the release of 82 more girls today (Saturday) after months of patient negotiations.

“Our security agencies have taken back these abducted girls in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities,” said presidential spokesman Garba Shehu on Saturday. “The girls are due tomorrow (yesterday) in Abuja to be received by the president.

“The president expressed his deep gratitude to security agencies, the military, the government of Switzerland, the Red Cross, local and international NGOs for the success of the operation.”

A government source told Xinhua on Saturday that at least 82 out of the more than 200 Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 in Nigeria’s restive northeastern Borno State had been released.

The source said that the girls were released following negotiations between the extremist group and the Nigerian government. “Yes, 82 girls are freed and they are due to fly to Abuja from Banki town in Borno State,” the source said. “After lengthy negotiations, our security agencies have taken back these girls, in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities.”

AFP understands three Chadian nationals, allegedly senior commanders under Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, were handed over. — Xinhua/AFP/HR.</s>Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls have been released after successful negotiations between the terrorist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government, according to a government official close to the negotiations.

The source, who is not authorized to speak on the record about the release, told CNN the freed girls are in military custody in Banki, a town in northeast Nigeria.

They will be transferred to the capital, Abuja, where they will have medical checks and be reunited with their families.

They are believed to be among the 276 girls, ages 16 to 18, forced from their beds by Boko Haram militants in the middle of the night in April 2014. The kidnapping from a boarding school in the town of Chibok sparked global outrage and the social media movement #BringBackOurGirls.

“I am very, very excited with this development. I cannot even sleep tonight,” said Yana Galang, whose daughter, Rifkatu, was among the girls kidnapped.

Galang said they don’t yet know who has been released, “but we’re very happy that many have been freed.”

“I hope and pray that my daughter is among these released girls,” she added.

As many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately after the mass abduction.

The next kidnapped girl wasn’t found until May 2016, when she wandered out of a Nigerian forest asking for help, according to witnesses.

Another 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls were handed over to authorities in October 2016. The release was the result of a series of negotiations, Nigerian government said at the time.</s>Several dozen Nigerian schoolgirls who were among more than 200 kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 have been released, Nigerian officials said Saturday, with unconfirmed reports that at least 80 have been freed.

"I can confirm they have been released," said a senior Nigerian government minister, who asked not to be identified, adding that an official statement would be released later.

The girls were reportedly released following negotiations with the government, though few details have been confirmed.

A military source said they were currently in Banki near the Cameroon border for medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

The kidnapping in Paril 2014 was one of the most high-profile incidents of Boko Haram's insurgency, now in its eighth year.

About 220 were abducted from their school in a night-time attack, prompting a global outcry and a huge social media campaign.

More than 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity prior to this release.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said last month the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Although the Chibok abduction is the most notorious case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.

The militants have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during their insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.

Despite the army saying the insurgency is on the run, large parts of the northeast, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants, and suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year.</s>Boko Haram has freed several schoolgirls kidnapped from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno State.

While a section of the Nigerian media suggested that about 82 girls were released, Al-Jazeera’s, citing government sources, said only 62 were freed.

About 276 female students were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School on April 14, 2014. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped while being taken away while three others were found or rescued by the military.

On October 13, 2016, 21 girls were freed after the Swiss government and international Committee of Red Cross brokered a deal between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government.

The Nigerian government said in April it was collaborating with “foreign entities” to negotiate for the release of the remaining girls.

“Talks are ongoing through other means with the help of some foreign entities to free more schoolgirls,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said during an interview with BBC Hausa.

“These talks are going on with the help of some countries. You can recall the 21 schoolgirls were freed with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Swiss government officials who got involved in the negotiations. These two have not withdrawn their support in the negotiations,” Shehu said.

“There are also other countries that are lending support to the negotiations by being involved in the talks,” Shehu added.

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>Boko Haram militants have released 82 schoolgirls out of a group of more than 200 whom they kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014 in exchange for prisoners, the presidency said on Saturday.

Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure the 82 girls in "lengthy negotiations", the presidency said on its Twitter account.

President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the girls on Sunday in the capital Abuja, it said, without saying how many Boko Haram suspects had been exchanged or disclosing other details.

A military source said the girls were currently in Banki near the Cameroon border for medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. From there they will be flown to Abuja.

The kidnapping was one of the high-profile incidents of Boko Haram's insurgency in Nigeria's northeast, now in its eighth year and with little sign of ending. About 220 were abducted from their school in a nighttime attack.

More than 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity before this release.

Buhari said last month that the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives.

The release of the 82 girls may give a boost to the former military ruler who made crushing the Islamist militant Boko Haram insurgency a key pillar of his election campaign in 2015.

He has hardly appeared in public since returning from Britain in March for treatment of an unspecified sickness.

Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.

The militants have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during their insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.

Although the army has retaken much of the territory initially lost to Boko Haram, large parts of the northeast, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants. Suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year.

Boko Haram, which last year pledged loyalty to Islamic State, has kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children in its campaign to carve out a medieval Islamist caliphate.</s>Five Boko Haram commanders were released in exchange for the freedom of 82 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremist group three years ago, a Nigerian government official said Sunday, before the girls’ expected meeting with the country’s president and their families.

The confirmation of the prisoner swap came a day after the young women were liberated. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to reporters on the matter.

There was no immediate comment about the exchange from the Nigerian presidency or Boko Haram, which has links to the Islamic State group. President Muhammadu Buhari’s office said Saturday that “some” Boko Haram suspects in detention had been released for the freedom of the schoolgirls, but it did not give details.

The young women were flown Sunday by military helicopters from northeastern Nigeria to Abuja, the capital, where they were to meet the president in the evening.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which along with the Swiss government mediated the Nigerian government’s negotiations with Boko Haram, said Sunday that the girls soon would meet with their families.

The Rev. Enoch Mark, whose two daughters have been among the missing, was still waiting word if they were among those freed. He emphasized though that he considered all 82 of the girls to be his daughters “because most of them worship in my church.”

“Three years is not three days,” he said. “I have to be anxious with the intention to see if one of my daughters is among the released ones.”

Some parents did not live long enough to see their daughters released, underscoring the tragedy of the three-year-long saga. And the recovery process is expected to be a long one for the girls, many of whom endured sexual assault during their time in captivity.

“They will face a long and difficult process to rebuild their lives after the indescribable horror and trauma they have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram,” said Pernille Ironside, acting representative of UNICEF Nigeria.

Authorities say 113 schoolgirls remain missing from the group of 276 abducted from their boarding school in April 2014. Girls who escaped early on said some of their classmates had died from illness. Others did not want to come home because they’d been radicalized by their captors, they said.

Human rights advocates also fear some of the girls kidnapped from the Chibok boarding school have been used by Boko Haram to carry out suicide bombings.

Last year, a first group of 21 Chibok girls was freed in October, and they have been in government care in Abuja for medical attention, trauma counseling and rehabilitation. Human rights groups have criticized the decision to keep the girls in custody in Abuja, nearly 900 km (560 miles) from Chibok.

It was not immediately clear whether the newly freed girls would join them.

They should be quickly released to their families and not be subjected to lengthy government detention, Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said, adding that the girls don’t deserve to be put through a “publicity stunt” and deserve privacy.

Though Boko Haram has abducted thousands of people during its eight-year insurgency that has spilled across Nigeria’s borders, the Chibok mass kidnapping in 2014 horrified the world and brought the extremist group international attention.

The failure of Nigeria’s former government to act quickly to free the girls sparked a global Bring Back Our Girls movement; U.S. first lady Michelle Obama posted a photo with its logo on social media.

The Bring Back Our Girls campaign said Sunday it was happy that Nigeria’s government had committed to rescuing the 113 remaining schoolgirls.

“We urge the president and his government to earnestly pursue the release of all our Chibok girls and other abducted citizens of Nigeria,” the group said in a statement.

Buhari late last year announced Boko Haram had been “crushed,” but the group continues to carry out attacks in northern Nigeria and neighboring countries. Its insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and driven 2.6 million from their homes, with millions facing starvation.

The 82 schoolgirls arrived to meet Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Sunday.

An AFP reporter at the presidential villa in the capital said the girls, from Chibok in northeast Nigeria, arrived in two white Nigerian Army buses shortly after 7:00 p.m. (1800 GMT).

The students, who were among more than 200 abducted from their school dormitory on the evening of April 14, 2014, were due to meet Buhari at about 4:00 p.m.

The buses stopped outside the president’s official residence, out of sight of the waiting media.</s>A government official close to the negotiations told CNN the freed girls are in military custody in Banki town in northeast Nigeria.

They will be transferred to the capital, Abuja, where they will have medical checks and be reunited with their families.

They are believed to be among the 276 girls, ages 16 to 18, forced from their beds by Boko Haram militants in the middle of the night in April 2014. The kidnapping from a boarding school in the town of Chibok sparked global outrage and the social media movement #BringBackOurGirls.

"I am very, very excited with this development. I cannot even sleep tonight," said Yana Galang, whose daughter, Rifkatu, was among the girls kidnapped.

Galang said they don't yet know who has been released, "but we're very happy that many have been freed." "I hope and pray that my daughter is among these released girls," she added. Some Boko Haram suspects being held by the government were released as part of the negotiations, President Muhammadu Buhari's office said Saturday. .@MBuhari After lengthy negotiations,our security agencies have taken back these girls,in exchange for some BokoHaram suspects held by the authorities — Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) May 6, 2017 "The President has repeatedly expressed his total commitment towards ensuring the safe return of the #ChibokGirls, and all other Boko Haram captives," Buhari's office said in a statement. Buhari will meet with the girls in Abuja on Sunday, his office said. As many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately after the mass abduction. The next kidnapped girl wasn't found until May 2016, when she wandered out of a Nigerian forest asking for help, according to witnesses. Another 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls were handed over to authorities in October 2016. The release was the result of a series of negotiations,the government said at the time.
Nigerian officials report, as a result of negotiations, Boko Haram has released an estimated 82 schoolgirls who were among about 220 kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok in Borno State in April 2014.