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Some of the girls that where abducted by Boko Haram

Twenty-one of the more than 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped from a school in Chibok by Boko Haram fighters in 2014 have been released, according to Nigeria’s presidency.

The release followed negotiations between Nigeria’s government and Boko Haram brokered by Red Cross and Swiss government, a spokesman for the country’s president said yesterday.

“It is confirmed that 21 of the missing Chibok girls have been released and are in the custody of the department of state services,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.

“The release of the girls . . . is an outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government,” Shehu said.

“The negotiations will continue.”

The girls were exchanged for four Boko Haram prisoners in Banki in northeast Nigeria, AFP news agency said quoting a local source.

The identity of the girls has yet to be confirmed, said Bring Back Our Girls campaigner Aisha Yesufu.

“We cannot confirm anything yet,” Yesufu said. — Reuters