Following the release of 82 Chibok school girls, indications have emerged that the Federal Government will initiate fresh talks on how to end suicide missions with the Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram and ensure return of normalcy to communities in the North-eastern part of the country.

Part of the talks is to also free more girls still trapped in the sect’s custody.

This comes as Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that the government will step up welfare packages for the victims as more details of how the Federal Government negotiated release of the 82 Chibok school girls with the leadership of the Boko Haram sect emerged, last night.


A top source close to the deal, told Vanguard that the entire negotiation was done with the Abubakar Shekau faction of the sect, holed up in remote areas of the N-East.

Although there were claims last week that Shekau had been fatally wounded by the military and one of his commanders killed in a deadly offensive, the top source confirmed to Vanguard that Shekau was fully involved in deliberations for release of the school girls.

The official said: “We actually met and discussed the terms of the release of the girls and the commanders with the Shekau faction and he was fully involved in all the stages of the deliberations. What we did this time around was direct swap, which did not involve the payment of ransom as was earlier contemplated.

“I can confirm to you that no fewer than five top commanders of Boko Haram were freed in exchange for the 82 girls and I think that it was a very good bargain with the sect’s leadership. Once that number was agreed upon, the five commanders were taken to an agreed location inside the forest where they were exchanged directly with the girls, on Saturday. That was how the whole thing was done.

“It was a tedious and daring process but we had to do it.”