Nigeria Says Boko Haram Freed 82 More Abducted Chibok Girls
- Official says hostages were exchanged for Boko Haram prisoners
- Buhari committed to ensuring the return of remaining captives
Yagana Bukar and her mother, right, whose two children have been kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents, are seen at the family home in the town of Damasak in North East Nigeria on April, 25 2017.
Photographer: Florian Plaucheur/AFP via Getty ImagesNigeria said 82 more girls were freed by the Boko Haram Islamist militant group out of the hundreds abducted from a school dormitory more than three years ago in exchange for some of its jailed leaders.
“After lengthy negotiations, our security agencies have taken back these girls in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities,” Garba Shehu, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, said in a statement posted on the presidency Twitter account late Saturday. No details were provided on the identities of the militants swapped for the student hostages.