MOSCOW, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - Some 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist group Boko Haram will be freed by Tuesday, a government source said on Saturday.
"I can confirm that FG (the federal government) is working hard to meet its own part of the agreement so that the release of the abductees can by effected either on Monday or latest Tuesday next week," a senior source at the presidency told Reuters.
The release was secured after the Nigerian government agreed to a ceasefire with the militant group on Friday. According to Reuters, the location of the transfer has not been revealed.
Many remain skeptical of the release due to false claims by the Nigerian military to have rescued some or all of the girls in the past.
The schoolgirls were kidnapped in April while taking exams in a secondary school in the northeastern town of Chibok. Previous attempts at negotiations with Boko Haram have failed to secure a peace deal mostly due to the fact that the group is comprised of several factions.
Boko Haram is an extremist Islamic sect that claims politics in northern Nigeria are under the control of corrupt false Muslims. The group, whose name roughly translates to “western education is sinful,” aims to establish a “pure” Islamic state ruled by Sharia law.
