of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, and other government officials.
Welcoming them, the Vice President said: "Dawn, dusk, almost a 1000 days. You wanted an education just like the millions around the world but at the altar of learning, you were abducted.
Nigeria failed you. Today, twenty-one of you beautiful young women are home. Against hope, you are home. It is my joy to welcome you home.
The nation has been waiting for you."
Below are names of the 21 freed Chibok girls released, & one of them brought a baby:
1. Maryam Usman
2. Jummai John
3. Blessing Abana
4. Lugwu Sanda
5. Comfort Habila
6. Maryam Basheer
7. Comfort Amos
8. Glory Mainta
9. Saratu Emmanuel
10. Deborah Ja'afaru
11. Rahap Ibrahim
12. Helen Musa
13. MaryamLawal
14. Rebecca Ibrahim
15. Asabe Goni
16. Deborah Andraus
17. Agnes Gabani
18. Saratu Marcus
19. Glory Damma
20. Binda Nuhu
21. Rebecca Malo
(Baby: Bukar Amos)
The Federal Government has said it did not swap Boko Haram prisoners in its custody to
secure the release of 21 Chibok girls.
Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed
made the disclosure at a World Press
Conference to journalists.
He said, “Gentlemen of the press, good
afternoon. We have called this press
conference at a very short notice to brief you
on the latest development in the saga of the
abducted Chibok Girls.
“We can confirm that 21 of the girls were
released, safely, to us by 5.30 this Thursday
morning and they were flown to Kaduna from
the location of their release. This is the most
glaring manifestation to
date of the unwavering commitment of Mr.
President to secure the safe release of the girls
and reunite them with their families. It is also
a result of the round-the-clock efforts by the
Administration to put a
closure to the sad issue of the kidnap of the
girls.
“We expect the released girls to land in Abuja
shortly. 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.
They will also be adequately debriefed. We have
the list oft he 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.
“Gentlemen, as we have always said, we have
been working on the safe release of the girls
and following all the leads available. In this
instance, the moment we had a credible lead,
Mr President gave the green-light to the DSS to
pursue it. We can confirm that the DSS pursued
the lead in collaboration with a friendly
European country and a renowned international
humanitarian organization. The DSS was
supported by the military.
“As soon as the necessary confidence was built
on both sides, the parties agreed on the date
and the location of the release of the 21 girls.
Please note that this is not a swap. 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.
“We want to thank all Nigerians for their
support and for never losing confidence in the
ability of Mr. President to secure the safe
release of our Chibok Girls,” he concluded.
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