GOVERNMENT ministers have denied allegations that the released 21 Chibok handed over yesterday were exchange for Boko Haram commanders being held in custody by the Department of State Service (DSS).
Yesterday, 21 of the Chibok girls were released by Boko Haram and subsequently picked up by a military helicopter in the Banki area of Borno State. They are among the 209 pupils abducted by the terrorist sect in April 2014 and their release is seen as part of an exchange programme believed to have been agreed between the terrorists and the government.
Boko Haram had long insisted that the girls would only be released in exchange for its fighters and yesterday, the government was keen to point out that this did not happen. Vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who received the girls and a 21-month-old baby released to the DSS yesterday, denied that a deal was struck.
Professor Osinbajo said: “There was no exchange of any kind and certainly there was no swap of any sort. The truth of the matter of course as you know even when we started negotiations was we had said that we were ready to consider whatever options there were and I believe that very fortunately God truly helped us in the negotiations.
“There was absolutely no exchange of any kind and so any news or story of four or one or two of three of four commanders is entirely untrue; no such thing took place. What has happened and the process that we have begun have not involved any type of swap of Boko Haram commanders or persons held as being militants in any way."
He said, however, that the government was open to all options for the release of the remaining girls in captivity. Professor Osinbajo added that the very important thing was that the nation should be sensitive about the assurance that the government wanted to bring back the girls alive.
Professor Osinbajo described the nature of the release as a very good turn of events, saying they believe that in the next few months the government should be able to secure the release of more girls along the same lines, using the same negotiations and the same template. The vice president admitted that the Swiss government worked in negotiations and explained that the Red Cross Society was not involved in the talks.
He, however, added that the Red Cross provided the medical support in case there were emergencies of any kind. Professor Osinbajo also revealed that only one of the released girls had a baby.
Yesterday, the government released the names of freed Chibok schoolgirls. they are:
Mary Usman Bulama, Jummai John, Blessing Abana, Luggwa Sanda, Comfort Habiba, Maryam Basheer, Comfort Amos, Glory Mainta, Saratu Emmanuel, Deborah Ja’afaru, Rahab Ibrahim, Helin Musa, Maryamu Lawan, Asabe Goni, Deborah Andrawus, Agnes Gapani, Saratu Markus, Glory Dama, Pindah Nuhu and Rebecca Mallam.
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