The Amnesty International has described as “big relief”, the news of the release of 82 Chibok girls who were held captive by Boko Haram.
The group, however, called on the Nigerian government to respect the privacy of the girls.
“The government should respect their privacy and ensure that the released girls are reunited with their families and not kept in lengthy detention and security screening which can only add to their suffering and plight,” said Osai Ojigho, Nigeria’s Director of Amnesty International.
Mr. Ojigho said, in a statement issued on Saturday, that after their years in captivity, it was vital now for the girls to receive physical and psychosocial counselling and support that could help them reintegrate in their communities.
The official said Boko Haram executed and tortured thousands of civilians, indoctrinated and forced people to fight for the terrorist group, as well as raped girls and forced them into marriage.
It asked the Nigerian authorities to ensure the safe return of thousands of people, including boys, abducted by the group.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed in the early hours of Sunday that the girls were exchanged for some Boko Haram “suspects” that were held by the government.
The released girls are among the over 270 abducted from their dormitories in a government secondary school in Chibok, Borno State in April 2014 as they prepared to write their final exams.
Twenty-one of them were earlier released last October after negotiations between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government.
Two other girls were found separately, in addition to those who escaped on the night of their abduction.
With the latest release, about 80 Chibok girls are now being held by the Boko Haram.
Other groups, as well as individuals, have been reacting to the news of the release of the Chibok girls.
#BringBackOurGirls, a not-for-profit organization famous for its advocacy for the release of the abducted girls, said it was “exceedingly delighted by this good news.”
In a statement issued on Sunday by its leaders, Aisha Yesufu and Oby Ezekwesili, the #BringBackOurGirls group commended President Buhari, the federal government, and “all the partners” who worked for the release of the girls.
“We are eagerly looking forward to the official release of the names of the 82 girls in order to enable us as usual verify them against the #ChibokGirls list generated by the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee on the Abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls (General Ibrahim Sabo Committee) report of 20 June 2014,” the group said.
“Once we are able to do so, we shall communicate our findings to the public.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in his reaction to the release of the girls, praised President Buhari for being “a man of his words”.
“President Buhari has further proven that he is a man of his words, as he could have used the initial inaction by the previous administration as an excuse to not take action, but he didn’t,” the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, quoted Mr. Dogara as saying in a statement he issued.
“It has been said in many quarters that true leadership is defined not by apportioning blame, but by solving challenges irrespective of their genesis, and the President deserves all commendation for this feat.
“It is extremely gladdening that these 82 girls will finally be reunited with their families.
“It is my ardent hope that they get the required medical attention and that the other girls and all others who remained in captivity are released soon,” Mr. Dogara said.
The president and the federal government have also received commendation from the Nigerian community in South Africa.
Ikechukwu Anyene, President of Nigeria Union, South Africa, said that the release of the girls was a welcome development and a sign of good things to come, NAN reported.
Mr. Anyene said that Nigerians living in South Africa and citizens of other countries were happy over the news.
He urged the government to ensure the release of the remaining girls, so as to end the trauma faced by their parents and guardians.
He also appealed to Nigerians not to stigmatize the girls.
“We should assist in giving them a sense of belonging. They were part of us before their abduction and it is equally right that we treat them well,” he said.
Meanwhile, a university lecturer has called on the international community to complement the federal government’s effort towards the rehabilitation of the 82 Chibok girls
Mustapha Hussaini, a criminologist and Head of the Department of Sociology, Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State, said the girls must have been affected psychologically because of their years in captivity.
“They must have been used to the life in the jungle for three years,” NAN quoted Mr. Hussaini as saying.
“The girls are now in a state of confusion; coming to be exposed to normal life after they were used to another life with insurgents for three years.
“Being detached from their parents for three years, their mode of life and thinking must have changed by now,” he said.
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