Breaking News: Boko Haram releases 21 #ChibokGirls to Nigerian government

Posted on October 13, 2016 by SouthernGirl2

chibok-girls-rescuedI have tears. 21 girls released, y’all. I’m so happy for them and their families.

(CNN) — Boko Haram militants handed over 21 Chibok schoolgirls to Nigerian authorities Thursday after a series of negotiations, Nigeria’s government said, in the first mass release of any of the more than 200 girls and women kidnapped from their school two years ago.

The 21 former captives were freed at about 3 a.m. in the northeastern Nigerian town of Banki, near the border with Cameroon, a source close to the negotiations said on condition of anonymity.

Some of the 21 freed girls appear Thursday in Banki, Nigeria, in a photo obtained exclusively by CNN.

They are said to have been among the 276 girls that Boko Haram militants herded from bed in the middle of the night at a school in Chibok in April 2014 — a kidnapping that spurred global outrage.

As many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately, and one was found this spring. Just under 200 remain unaccounted for after Thursday’s release.

September: Chibok girls’ parents react to new Boko Haram video

The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered the deal between the Islamist militant group and the Nigerian government, said Mallam Garba Shehu, spokesman for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Negotiations will continue,” he said on Twitter.

Terms of Thursday’s deal were not immediately announced, but no captive Boko Haram fighters were released in exchange for the girls, the source with knowledge of the negotiations said.

After their release, the girls went to meet with the governor of northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state, and they will be taken to the central Nigerian city of Abuja, Borno officials said.

About SouthernGirl2

A Native Texan who adores baby kittens, loves horses, rodeos, pomegranates, & collect Eagles. Enjoys politics, games shows, & dancing to all types of music. Loves discussing and learning about different cultures. A Phi Theta Kappa lifetime member with a passion for Social & Civil Justice.
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38 Responses to Breaking News: Boko Haram releases 21 #ChibokGirls to Nigerian government

  1. LIFE LINE says:
    November 1, 2016 at 5:58 am

    It was so touching watching them all…

    Reply
  22. SouthernGirl2 says:
    October 13, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    My friend, Ibrahim Abdullahi, created the hashtag BringBackOurGirls, brought awareness to the kidnapped girls & 21 are now released.

    APPLAUSE-LTCSA-EqRJH

    Reply
  23. Ametia says:
    October 13, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    this is encouraging news. More to say about this…

    Reply
  29. SouthernGirl2 says:
    October 13, 2016 at 11:36 am

    913 days, y’all. Whew lawd!

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      October 13, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      Heartbreaking..

      These poor girls…

      Can’t even begin to imagine the nightmare and what they’ve been put through..

      There’s a special place in hell for the evil barbarians that have done this to these young girls…destroyed lives and families…

      Reply

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