Nigeria’s president on Wednesday vowed to “redouble” efforts to
secure the release of nearly 200 schoolgirls who remain missing more
than two years after being abducted by Boko Haram extremists.
President
Muhammadu Buhari met for the first time with the 21 Chibok schoolgirls
who were released last week after negotiations with Boko Haram.
Buhari said they would be reintegrated into society “as quickly as possible”.
At
least 276 girls were kidnapped from a school in the northeast town of
Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on, and another was found in
May.
Last week marked the first negotiated release of any of the schoolgirls.
One
of the schoolgirls, Rebecca Malu, delivered brief remarks on behalf of
the group at Wednesday’s ceremony. “We are happy to see this wonderful
day because we didn’t know that we would come back,” she said, adding
that she was praying for the release of the others.
Not all may want to come home. More than 100 of the schoolgirls
appear unwilling to leave their captors, perhaps because they have been
radicalised by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return because they have
married extremists and have babies, Chibok community leader Pogu Bitrus
has told The Associated Press.
Bitrus said the freed schoolgirls should be educated abroad because they likely will face stigma in Nigeria.
The president said the government will assume responsibility for the schoolgirls’ personal, educational and professional goals.
“These
dear daughters of ours have seen the worst that the world has to
offer,” Buhari said. “It is now time for them to experience the best
that the world can do for them.”
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