Eighty-two abducted Chibok schoolgirls released by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria last week have arrived in the capital of Abuja and been received by the president.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari expressed joy on Sunday night at meeting with the girls, after they were found near the border town of Banki in Borno state, near Cameroon’s territory, on Saturday.
Earlier on Sunday, they arrived at Abuja Airport and were driven away in a military convoy.
"We've always made it clear that we will do everything in our power to ensure the freedom & safe return of our daughters" and all captives of Boko Haram, Buhari said on his Twitter account.
A government official said five Boko Haram commanders were freed to secure the release of the schoolgirls.
Some of the 82 released Chibok girls waiting before a meeting with Nigeria's president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on May 7, 2017. /VCG Photo
Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure their release after lengthy negotiations with the militant group.
The young women have now been handed over to government officials who will supervise their re-entry into society after three years in captivity, a presidential adviser said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said they would be reunited with their families soon.
Around 276 girls were kidnapped in April 2014 by Boko Haram. Around 57 managed to escape, but more than 200 had remained missing for more than two years..
(With inputs from CGTN’s Thuli Tshabalala and AP)
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