The Boko Haram terrorist group has given the Federal Government some conditions on which it will release more Chibok girls in its custody.
The group had last week released 21 of the girls who were kidnapped on April 14, 2014 from their school hostel at Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that the next batch of 83 girls would be released once the Federal Government meets the group’s conditions.
According to the newspaper, the two conditions will be payment of ransom and freedom for no fewer than 16 of Boko Haram commanders being held in various detention facilities and prisons.
Vanguard said it learnt that the government was eager to get the remaining 83 girls, reportedly held by a top leader of the sect in an undisclosed location in the North East, out of captivity.
Of the 219 girls still missing, a source said only 104 were left in the captivity of the sect, while the rest had long been married off by top commanders and converted to Islam.
“The truth is that those Chibok girls are now Boko Haram members, having married the sect members and become radicalised,” the source told Vanguard.
It added: “The remaining 83 girls are with a top leader of Boko Haram and those are the only ones we are going to work for their release in the next phase of our negotiations, which starts immediately.
“The others had since become Boko Haram members, having been married off and radicalised into Boko Haram as soon as they were captured over two years ago.”
But Sunday Vanguard said it learnt that the representatives of the sect, who are meeting with a Federal Government team, might insist on payment upfront of huge cash by government before freeing the captives.
“I think the guys are settled on the idea that the cash must come ahead of the release since they had proved to government that they are reliable by releasing the 21 girls, last week, without many conditions attached,” the source stated.
Asked if the sect leaders were unsure of government’s sincerity to keep its own side of the bargain, the source said that the representatives of Boko Haram had also shown that they have confidence in government.
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