Dozens of Nigerian schoolgirls reunited with their families after three years in Boko Haram capitivity

The group were released as part of a prisoner exchange with terror group Boko Haram

Sunday 21 May 2017 12:28 BST

One of the 82 Chibok school girls is reunited with her parents (Reuters)

Dozens of Nigerian schoolgirls have been reunited with their families more than three years after they were kidnapped by Boko Haram extremists.

The 82 were among the 276 girls who were taken from their boarding school in in the northeastern town of Chibok in 2014 by the militant group, sparking an international campaign to ensure their safe return.

Many parents travelled through the night to meet their daughters in the Nigerian capital city, Abuja. The freed girls danced and sang with their families in the street in an emotional reunion ceremony.

"I am really happy today. It is Christmas and new year, I am very happy and I thank God," Godiya Joshua, whose daughter Esther was among those freed, told NPR.

The freed girls will remain in government care for the time being, while authorities conduct psychological and medical assessments.

It is unclear when the girls will be returned to the families for good as 21 Chibok girls who were freed in an earlier release have remained in government care since October last year.

Despite the jubilant celebrations, 113 are still being held by the terrorist group.

Five Boko Haram commanders were released in exchange for the girls and negotiations to free the rest of the group are ongoing.

While the Chibok girls' have received international attention, including support from former first lady Michelle Obama, hundreds of other children remain in Boko Haram captivity.

As many as five hundred children may be missing in Damasak, north east Nigeria, after a separate raid on a primary school, according to Human Rights Watch.

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

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1/16Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Fifteen year old Nigerian refugee Fati, hugs her mother Mariam while carrying her sister, at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Fifteen year old Nigerian refugee Fati, carry her eight month old sister, who she last seen when she was 3 months old, at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon. She was abducted by Boko Haram and spend four months in captivity. She was given to a man and forced to be his wife. She was eventually freed by Cameroonian soldiers and have been reunited with her family in a refugee camp in Cameroon

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Nigerian refugee's at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon. The conflict in North-East Nigeria prompted by Boko Haram has led to widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, protection risks and a severe humanitarian crisis. This is one of the fastest growing displacement crisis in Africa – one of the world’s most forgotten emergencies, with little attention from the donor community

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Nigerian refugee children at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Nigerian refugees line up to receive food aid at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Didja Damna (26) with her daughter, 17 month old Ngarvounsia, as she gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Didja Damna (26) with her daughter , 17 month old Ngarvounsia, as she gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon. Didja have four other children and had her first child when she was sixteen. Ngarvounsia lost weight and have been treated for three day's in hospital and is recovering

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Fadi ,the wife of internally displaced Alagi Dubji feed her daughter, Ina Petal( 13 months) a peanut butter supplement, at their home in Maroua in Northern Cameroon. Ina received treatment for malnourishment and is doing well after she was discharged from the hospital. Alagi and his family had to flee from his village near Maroua after Boko Haram fighters burned down his house.Alagi had 40 children with 26 still alive

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

A malnourished girl gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

More than 135 displacement sites have been noted along the border with Nigeria

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Temporary schools in the refugee camp of Kabelewa, counts eight classrooms for 549 pupils. Out of those 549 children, only 12 had already been to school before

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

As the river continues to dry up in April and May, we expect to see an increase in violence in the Diffa region. Both refugees and internally displaced people are affected by the insecurity, fleeing attacks and also fleeing to safer locations ahead of attacks. Generally noticed is a movement from locations near the border towards the inland area along the main road where spontaneous new sites are being created and host villages' population increasing

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Forced displacement in the region of Diffa is becoming regular and is linked to the volatile security situation in the region. Diffa, the Niger's poorest region, has been affected by the consequences of the increased acts of violence in Nigeria, conducted by the armed group Boko Haram, increasingly expanding and targeting the civilian population in Niger - and Diffa region in particular. With water levels starting to fall, the Nigeria-based armed group is seizing the opportunity to cross over the Komadougou River, into Niger from Nigeria

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Fatima Abubakar, 13, in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. Fatima lost five family members during the attack of her small village in Nigeria, in the shores of the lake Chad. She now lives in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, in Chad, with her father, mother and 3 siblings, "The table was all set and we were just about to have our breakfast together when the gunshots started outside. We immediately left in panic. I escaped with my mother. We left in two pirogues. My mother’s pirogue had a whole and they put a cloth to stop the water from entering. But they had to come back to shore. I thought I would be forever alone and that my parents were dead. I cried for days. When I met them both days later in Ngouboua (an island in Chad) I couldn’t be happier. I sometimes think about our table, where the breakfast was served, and how the house would be now"

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Hafsa Mohammed sews in the UNICEF-supported child friendly space in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. Every child’s future starts with a dream and Hafsa Mohammed, 16, has a very clear idea of what she wants to become. She wants to be a successful businesswoman and own a notions store. She now lives in Daresalam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. “I have started again to sew. I used to do it back in Nigeria. My parents encouraged me to do it. It will be useful for me to start my own business and I would be happy to teach others as well,” explains Hafsa

UNICEF

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram

Salta Bintou Hassan is 11. She lost her arm after an suicide attack on Bagasola market in October 2015. After spending two months in the hospital of N'Djamena, she is back with her family. Yet, her life will never be the same

UNICEF

Boko Haram has carried out a wave of suicide bombings, assassinations and abductions in Nigeria, and captured large swathes of territory in the north-east of the country since the beginning of the crisis in 2009.

However, the Nigerian military has recently recaptured much of this ground.

The group, which is affiliated with Isis, promotes a version of Islam which makes it “haram”, or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in a number of activities which its leaders associate with Western society.

According to the United Nations, 2.1 million people have fled their homes as a result of the insurgency.

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