21 Nigerian School Girls Held Captive By Boko Haram Released

Who can forget the social media campaign that went global #BringBackOurGirls. This movement went viral back in April 2014 when nearly 300 Chibok school girls were kidnapped at the hands of militant group Boko Haram.

According to CNN.com, militants handed over 21 Chibok schoolgirls to authorities Thursday morning (along with a 20-month-old boy born to one of the girls in captivity) after a series of negotiations. This was the first mass release of any of the nearly 300 school girls that were held captive.

The government and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped to negotiate the release of the girls. It was stated by New York Times that militants gathered the girls that they were releasing  and drove them through the forest until their vehicle broke down, forcing the girls to walk for two days until they arrived in a border town where they were able to contact officials.

The Nigerian government plans to continue negotiating with the militant group in exchange of the remaining schoolgirls who are still held captive.

It is still unclear of the lively hood of the other captive school girls but the Nigerian government is taking action to see to it that more than the 21 returned will be reunited with their families.

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The Telegraph

According to Nigeria’s government, this is a list of the names of the 21 Chibok women that have been released:

Blessing Abana, Comfort Amos, Deborah Andrawus, Maryam Basheer, Mary Usman Bulama, Glory Dama, Saratu Emannuel, Agnes Gapani, Asabe Goni, Comfort Habila, Rahab Ibrahim, Rebecca Ibrahim, Deborah Ja'afaru, Jummai John, Maryamu Lawan, Glory Mainta, Rebecca Mallam, Saratu Markus, Helen Musa, Pindah Nuhu, Lugwa Sanda