Feature: Release of 21 Chibok girls reignites hope in Nigeria

Nigerians woke up Thursday morning to the cheery news that 21 of the more than 200 Chibok school girls abducted two years ago in the country's northeastern state of Borno had been freed by terror group Boko Haram.

Citizens of the West African country leaped into joyful mood, following the confirmation of the news by the Nigerian government.

The release of the school girls by their abductors elicited joy, reignited hope and bolstered the confidence reposed in the government and its forces to bring back the Chibok girls.

A total of 276 girls were seized by armed men who stormed their dormitories on the night of April 14, 2014, at the Girls Secondary School in Chibok town of Borno State.

Two years on, while some 57 girls were brave enough to escape then, 219 of them were still missing.

In May, one of the girls escaped from their captors with her baby.

With 21 girls released by their captors 913 days after the abduction, 197 others are still being held.

There were speculations that some of the girls had been married off by their abductors, while many had been forced to carry out suicide attacks for Boko Haram.

To most of the parents, two years seemed too long. But the reality surrounding the release of some of the girls has brought back hope that others would return, although no one can shed a light on their whereabouts or when they might return.

The Nigerian government had said repeatedly that hands were on deck to locate the girls and rescue them alive. Also, the government had signaled interest to hold round-table discussion with genuine representatives of Boko Haram to negotiate the freedom of the abducted girls.

Clarifying the widespread speculations that the 21 Chibok school girls freed by terror group Boko Haram were swapped with some terrorists, the government said no swap was done.

"Note that this is not a swap. It is a release, the product of painstaking negotiations and trust on both sides," Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Lai Mohammed told journalists in Abuja, the Nigerian capital on Thursday.

The Nigerian presidency said the release of the girls, in a limited number, was the outcome of negotiations between the government and Boko Haram.

The negotiation was brokered by the International Red Cross Society and the Swiss government, authorities said.

The government had thrice established links with the abductors to perfect the release of the girls in exchange for suspected terrorists but all efforts proved futile.

For the Bring Back Our Girls Group agitating for the release of the abducted school girls, the latest development is an exciting one.

In a statement sent to Xinhua, the group said the release of the girls confirmed the confidence reposed in government for having the capacity to rescue the Chibok girls.

"Following this development, 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 group said.

It added: "We further urge the international community to continue to support our government's effort to rescue all other abducted Nigerians, so that parents, the Chibok community, the nation, and the world can finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all."

News of the girls' release has set their local Chibok community agog, with most parents rejoicing and hoping their children were among those freed.

Ezekiel Ishak, a resident of Chibok, told Xinhua that the mood of the entire community had changed since the exciting news of their daughters' release hit town.

"Here in Chibok, it is a harvest of hope. Now. we have stronger confidence in the ability of our government and security forces to fully restore our joy," Ishak said.

The government said it will continue with the negotiations for the release of other girls still in Boko Haram's custody.

Upon arrival in Abuja, the released Chibok girls will be attended to by a team of medical doctors, psychologists, social workers and trauma experts, among others, assembled to properly examine the girls, especially because they have been in captivity for so long.

Their parents are currently being contacted by the Nigerian authorities as part of the necessary verification exercise. Endit