According to BBC, the Federal Government paid a ransom of
two million euros in cash in addition with top Boko Haram
commanders for the release of 82 Chibok girls.
Five senior Boko Haram militants were moved from a high
security unit to be driven to freedom.
It was gathered that paying a ransom as well as swapping
prisoners was a sticking point that almost unravelled the
whole deals.
President Buhari has not revealed if a ransom was paid
“It should have happened sooner, but the president was
hesitating about freeing the five – and especially about the
money,” says the person with detailed knowledge of the
deal.
Persuading him was “very, very difficult. It was the most
difficult part of the whole negotiation. He didn’t want to pay
any money.
“The ransom was two million euros. Boko Haram asked for
euros. They chose the suspects and they gave us the list of
girls who would be freed.”
Governments rarely admit to paying a ransom, and this
claim could not be independently verified.
Reaching that point took a lot of time and there were many
setbacks, but trust was gradually built on both sides. The
Nigerian army’s surge of military success helped strengthen
the government’s hand.
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