•Hostages released in Banki Town after 1,118 days in captivity
President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to receive the 82 Chibok girls released on Saturday by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
A statement on Saturday night by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said that the girls were exchanged for some Boko Haram suspects in custody.
It reads “The President is pleased announce that negotiations to release more of the Chibok Girls have born fruit with the release of 82 more Girls today.
“After months of patient negotiations, our security agencies have taken back these abducted girls in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities.
“The Girls are due tomorrow in Abuja to be received by the President.
The President expressed his deep gratitude to security agencies, the military, the government of Switzerland, the Red Cross, local and international NGOs for the success of this operation.
‘It may be recalled that when the first batch of 21 Girls were released in October last year,the President directed the security agencies to continue in earnest until all the Chibok Girls have been released and reunited with their families.
“The President has been receiving full reports from the Director-General of the State Security Services at each stage,” he added
•82 Hostages released in Banki Town after 1,118 days in captivity
One thousand, one hundred and eighteen days after their abduction by terror sect Boko Haram, freedom yesterday came the way of 82 more of the Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, students.
The girls were among the 227 kidnapped from their dormitory on the night of April 14, 2014.
They were let go by their abductors after another lengthy round of negotiations with the federal government, seven months after the release of the first batch of the kidnapped girls.
Twenty-one were in that first batch set free in October last year.
The 82 girls were released at Banki at the Nigeria/Cameroun border and are currently in the custody of security agencies and 152 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in the town.
Security sources said last night that they will be flown to Maiduguri today before being relocated by the military and security agencies for de-briefing and rehabilitation.
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