The Nigerian Government has denied reports that the 24 Chibok girls who returned from Boko Haram captivity earlier are not allowed to see their families.
Nearly 300 girls taking science exams were kidnapped from a government boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped within hours, and 219 remained captive until some gained their freedom recently.
Those freed in October have been held for trauma counseling and rehabilitation in Abuja, the capital.
In reaction to reports that parents of the girls are prevented from seeing their daughters, the Senior Special Assistant to Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Thursday said: “It is time to put to rest the falsehood that parents of the 24 Chibok Girls who returned earlier are not allowed to see them. This claim is outrightly false.”
“By an arrangement put in place, the 24 girls will go home to spend time with their families every three months. They were due to go during Easter but security advice was against that. Instead, Government made arrangements for the parents to come to their girls in Abuja in batches.”
“Eighteen of the parents left Abuja on Friday, May 5 after spending three days with their daughters. This can be verified. Another set will also come once arrangements for them are put in place.”