Ebun Francis with agency reports
According to sources familiar with the negotiations for the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls,of the roughly 197 still unaccounted for after Boko Haram militants kidnapped them in Borno State two years ago, about 114 have either died, been married off, or become radicalised and don’t want to leave their Boko Haram kidnappers.
Only 83 will be negotiated for when the the Nigerian government resumes talks next week for their release, two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations told CNN.
Negotiations between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government over the captives are expected to resume Monday, four days after the militant group handed over 21 former Chibok schoolgirls to authorities in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls and women, ages 16 to 18, in the middle of the night at a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014, drawing global outrage.
As many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately in 2014, and one was found months ago.
If the sources are correct about the number of dead or otherwise unavailable, that would mean more than 40 per cent of those who were kidnapped in 2014 stand no chance of being brought home alive or no obvious immediate chance of being retrieved through negotiation.
According to CNN, two sources close to the negotiations disclosed that that Boko Haram received money as part of the deal. The sources did not disclose the amount. President Buhari’s government has not yet disclosed what it gave in return for the release of the girls. Lai mohammed, Nigeria’s information only disclosed while confirming the release of the girls to newsmen that the country did not swap Boko Haram commanders in exchange for the girls.