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Boko Haram Releases 21 Girls Kidnapped From School in Chibok, Nigeria Says Boko Haram Releases 21 Girls Kidnapped From School in Chibok, Nigeria Says
(about 1 hour later)
LAGOS, Nigeria — Two and a half years after nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Nigeria, the government announced on Thursday that 21 of them had been freed.LAGOS, Nigeria — Two and a half years after nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Nigeria, the government announced on Thursday that 21 of them had been freed.
The development appeared to be the greatest breakthrough so far in an episode that has highlighted the brutality of the militant group Boko Haram, which seized the girls from a school in the town of Chibok on April 14, 2014.The development appeared to be the greatest breakthrough so far in an episode that has highlighted the brutality of the militant group Boko Haram, which seized the girls from a school in the town of Chibok on April 14, 2014.
An international campaign, supported by Michelle Obama and others, had urged the Nigerian government to do more to secure the girls’ release, using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. An international campaign had urged the Nigerian government to do more to secure the girls’ release, using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls and drawing support from Michelle Obama and others.
“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,” Garba Shehu, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, said in a series of posts on Twitter. “The negotiations will continue. 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 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,” Garba Shehu, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, said in a series of posts on Twitter. “The negotiations will continue.”
Mr. Shehu said that the names of the released girls would be made public soon and that Lawal Daura, the director general of the State Security Service, had briefed the president before his departure to Germany for an official visit. The girls were taken to an air force hospital. Laolu Akande, a spokesman for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said they were receiving care and “undergoing medical, psychological and other necessary reviews” by experts. The girls were released around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, said at a news conference in Abuja, the capital. He did not say where they had been held captive. They were flown to Kaduna, in the northwest of the country, and were to be taken to Abuja.
Relatives of the girls rejoiced at the news of the release, even though they did not know at the time if their kin were among the freed. “Ahead of their arrival, we have assembled a team of medical doctors, psychologists, social workers, trauma experts, etc., to properly examine the girls, especially because they have been in captivity for so long,” Mr. Mohammed said. “They will also be adequately debriefed. We have the list of the 21 girls, but we are now contacting their parents as part of the necessary verification exercise. As soon as that is concluded, we will release the names to the public.”
Lawan Zanna, the father of Aisha Zanna, one of the abducted girls, said by telephone that he hoped his daughter was among those freed. “Everybody is very happy hearing that they have released our daughters,” he said, referring to himself and the other parents. “All are our daughters.” Mr. Mohammed denied preliminary reports that Boko Haram fighters might have been released in exchange for the girls.
“Please note that this is not a swap,” he said. “It is a release, the product of painstaking negotiations and trust on both sides. 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.”
Relatives of the girls rejoiced, even though they did not know if their kin were among the freed.
Lawan Zanna, the father of Aisha Zanna, one of the abducted girls, said by telephone that he hoped his daughter was among those freed. All of the parents are “very happy hearing that they have released our daughters,” he said. “All are our daughters.”
Another parent, Esther Yakubu, said by telephone that she was praying that her daughter Dorcas was among those freed. “They say it’s only 21,” she said. “Most of them are still out there, and we want them to come back.’’Another parent, Esther Yakubu, said by telephone that she was praying that her daughter Dorcas was among those freed. “They say it’s only 21,” she said. “Most of them are still out there, and we want them to come back.’’
Manasseh Allen, a native of Chibok whose cousin was abducted, said in a phone interview that he hoped more girls could be rescued. “Once we have 21 parents now linked up with daughters, at least we have solved a good part of the problem,” he said. “So many will be hopeful that their daughters have been brought back.”Manasseh Allen, a native of Chibok whose cousin was abducted, said in a phone interview that he hoped more girls could be rescued. “Once we have 21 parents now linked up with daughters, at least we have solved a good part of the problem,” he said. “So many will be hopeful that their daughters have been brought back.”
Asked if he thought a ransom was involved, he said: “Whether it’s a ransom, whether it’s a prisoner swap, the government knows how best to get these girls back. All we are after is to get the girls back.”Asked if he thought a ransom was involved, he said: “Whether it’s a ransom, whether it’s a prisoner swap, the government knows how best to get these girls back. All we are after is to get the girls back.”
Nigerian officials revealed last month that they had been negotiating with the Islamist militant group to gain the release of the girls. The talks began shortly after Mr. Buhari took office in November. The Bring Back Our Girls campaign thanked the Nigerian security services on its Facebook page and added: “We trust that our government will continue to work to keep the safety, security and well-being of the other girls a high priority.”
The negotiations were derailed at least three times and were complicated by divisions inside Boko Haram. At one point, Western intelligence officials feared that the government may have been negotiating with impostors. The abductions, during exam time at a boarding school, shocked the world and increased pressure on the government to fight Boko Haram, which has terrorized parts of northern Nigeria for years by burning entire villages and carrying out rapes, beheadings, lootings and other acts of violence.
In one instance, negotiations broke down at the last minute, even after the president agreed to free imprisoned Boko Haram fighters, according to a government statement. Talks failed on another occasion because members of Boko Haram’s negotiating team had been killed. Some girls managed to escape shortly after the fighters stormed their school and hauled away their classmates, and in May, the authorities announced that one girl, Amina Ali, had been found; she was wandering in the forest when members of a vigilante group came across her as they prepared to ambush a Boko Haram camp.
The abductions, during exam time at their boarding school, shocked the world and increased pressure on the government to fight Boko Haram, which has terrorized parts of northern Nigeria for years by burning entire villages and carrying out rapes, beheadings, lootings and other acts of violence. But a majority of the girls are still missing, and it is feared that many may never return. In August, Boko Haram released a video purporting to show the bodies of several kidnapped schoolgirls who fighters said were killed by Nigerian airstrikes.
Some girls managed to escape shortly after the fighters stormed their school and hauled away their classmates. Nigerian officials revealed last month that they had been negotiating with Boko Haram, in talks begun shortly after Mr. Buhari took office in November. The negotiations were derailed at least three times and were complicated by divisions inside Boko Haram.
In May, the authorities announced that one girl, Amina Ali, had been found; She was wandering in the forest when members of a vigilante group came across her as they prepared to ambush a Boko Haram camp. The girls still in captivity are thought to be held by a faction controlled by the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, rather than a newer faction that has been endorsed by the Islamic State. The latter faction split from Mr. Shekau’s group after an ideological dispute over killings that targeted Muslims.
But a majority of the girls are still missing, and it is feared that many of them might never return. In August, Boko Haram released a video purporting to show the bodies of several kidnapped schoolgirls who fighters said were killed by Nigerian airstrikes. Western intelligence officials have said they believed the girls were scattered in small groups, another hurdle to rescuing them.
The girls still in captivity are thought to be held by a faction controlled by the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, rather than a newer faction that has been endorsed by the Islamic State and that is led by a militant, Abu Musab al-Barnawi. The latter faction split from Mr. Shekau’s group after an ideological dispute over killings that targeted Muslims. The Nigerian military, with help from troops from neighboring nations and from the United States, Britain and France, has made big advances against Boko Haram in recent months, recapturing towns, arresting and killing militants and pushing remaining fighters into the forest. But it has had trouble holding towns once liberated from Boko Haram control, and Boko Haram fighters have also taken the fight to neighboring countries like Niger.
Western intelligence officials have said recently they believe the girls are scattered in small groups, making their rescue all the more difficult.
Mr. Buhari has been criticized by relatives of the girls, among other critics, and he has also been faulted for failing to free the captives despite an offensive against Boko Haram that has killed numerous militants and forced others into hiding.
The government’s decision last month to describe the negotiations on behalf of the girls appeared to be intended to quell criticism of its efforts on their behalf. Mr. Buhari had recently said he would be open to calling on nongovernmental organizations as intermediaries in negotiating with Boko Haram.
“The government is delighted,” said Femi Adesina, a spokesman for Mr. Buhari. “It’s something that has been uppermost in the minds of people in government and the fact that it has been achieved today, at least the beginning of it has been achieved, everyone is delighted.”