UPDATE - Nigeria says 21 abducted girls freed after rebel talks

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS ON TALKS, BOKO HARAM STATEMENT PLUS ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) – Twenty-one of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 by Boko Haram have been freed, the Nigerian government confirmed on Thursday.

Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the 21 girls were released after negotiations with their captors.

"It is confirmed that 21 of the missing Chibok girls have been released and are in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS," a government statement read.

The statement said the negotiations had been mediated by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government -- and said talks were ongoing to ensure the remaining girls are also freed.

“The President welcomes the release of the girls but cautioned Nigerians to be mindful of the fact that more than 30,000 fellow citizens were killed via terrorism,” Shehu stated.

A local online news medium called Sahara Reporters quoted a Boko Haram commander as saying the girls were freed in exchange for a number of its fighters in government custody. Shehu did not give such details.

A total of 276 girls were taken on the night of 14 April 2014 but 57 of them later escaped. Another escaped this year. The latest releases leave at least 197 of the girls still in Boko Haram hands.

The #BringBackOurGirls movement which has campaigned for the government to step up efforts for the captives' release said it was treating the information with cautious optimism, adding: "This will be extremely happy news if true."

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari recently said he was all for a quick release of the girls, including entering into negotiations with their abductors. He had invited the United Nations to consider mediating for the girls' freedom.

Abubakar Shekau, now a leader of a splinter group within the insurgency, repeatedly said he would free the girls only in exchange for his fighters locked in various government prisons, among other conditions.