Nigerian authorities say eight suspected members of Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, have confessed to involvement in the 2014 abduction of 270 girls from the town of Chibok, in Borno state.
The mass abduction of girls from their school caused global outrage and drew attention to the militant group which has killed more than 30,000 people since 2009 in an insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.
A police spokesman said 22 suspected members of the militant group were arrested in different locations in the neighboring northeastern states of Yobe and Borno. “Eight of them, including a commander, have confessed to being involved in the planning and kidnap of Chibok girls”
With presidential elections due in February 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is under pressure to show success in the fight against Boko Haram, a group he had vowed to defeat while campaigning for 2015 elections.
The government and the military commanders have repeatedly said since late 2015 that the insurgency has been defeated. Despite that, the militants frequently stage deadly, sophisticated attacks on the army and civilians.
Many of the Chibok girls managed to escape in the hours following their abduction or were released in the last few years. 82 of them were released last year in an exchange deal that included several imprisoned senior members of Boko Haram.
An estimated 100 girls are still missing and their condition is unknown. The Buhari government continues to assure their parents that it is working hard to secure the release of their children.
