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11/22/2024 12:40:14 am

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Nigerians Hopeful That Boko Haram Will Release Kidnapped Chibok Girls Soon

Boko Haram abduction

(Photo : REUTERS) In this file photo, Nigerians take part in a protest demanding for the release of secondary school girls abducted from the remote village of Chibok, in Asokoro, Abuja May 13, 2014. It has been reported that the abducted girls might be released soon as part of the ceasefire agreements.

Nigerians have been very cautious and hopeful after reports on Monday swirled that the Boko Haram might release the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls they abducted abducted.

The rumored release of kidnap victims comes on the heelsof a ceasefire agreement between the rebels and the government, which the military announced on Friday.

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The federal government has not yet provided details about the said agreement. However, government spokesman Mike Omeri released a statement via text message saying the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is "inching closer" to having the Chibok girls released from their captors.

The schoolgirls are alive and well, Omeri added.

The negotiations are still ongoing and it will be continued this week in Chad, where the Chadian President Idriss Deby works as a mediator between the government of Nigeria and the Boko Haram leaders.

Also expressing hope about the release of the Chibok girls is French President Francois Hollande, who released a statement on Friday saying the freedom of the abducted girls might be granted in the coming hours and days. This is not the first time that France has been involved in the abductions by Boko Haram as they have also helped in the negotiations when citizens in Cameroon were also kidnapped.

The militants kidnapped the girls six months ago and although there have been reports that the girls might be released soon, the activists in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, is reportedly still continuing their daily "Bring Back Our Girls" demonstration. The said movement has been going on for 174 days now.

Some of the parents of the girls have expressed their concern about the said report and noted that they are confused but they are hopeful that their daughters will be back anytime soon.

The release of the girls might not come as soon as they hope it would be since reports have emerged saying that the ceasefire agreement is not really being followed by Boko Haram as another attack has been carried out by the militants in the Borno state.

The reports say the city of Damboa was attacked on Sunday evening where Boko Haram members drove several pick-up vans. According to Abbas Muhammad Gava, an official for the Nigerian civilian defense group, they resisted the attack and more than two dozen of the militants died in the encounter.

Abbas added that the ceasefire will not work as Boko Haram is "untrustworthy" and that the attacks continue to happen on the ground. He noted that they will continue to fight the militants whenever they attack and will not adhere to the ceasefire agreements.

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