Nigeria's presidency has confirmed the release of 21 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in 2014 in the northern town of
Chibok.
The militant group kidnapped about 270 girls from a school in Chibok on April 2 that year.
"The release of the girls...is the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government," a presidency statement said on Thursday.
"The negotiations will continue."
Until now only one girl had been rescued.
A vigilante group found Amina Ali Nkeki in May with her suspected militant husband and her new baby.
Dozens escaped in the initial melee, but more than 200 are still missing.
A senior government official in Nigeria told the BBC that it is understood the girls are being held by the security services in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.
The details of the rescue have not been given but the Nigerian military is currently carrying out a large-scale operation in the Sambisa forest, Boko Haram’s stronghold.
The kidnapping of the girls sparked one of the biggest global social media campaigns, with tweeters using the hashtag
#BringBackOurGirls.
