President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed optimism on the release of more of the kidnapped Chibok girls, after 21 of them were freed by Boko Haram, following more than two years of captivity.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday in Berlin, Buhari said negotiations will continue until all the girls secure their freedom.

He said: “On the Chibok girls, we have been able to secure the release of 21 of them, so over 100 more are still in the hands of the terrorists somewhere in the Lake Chad Basin area which include Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.

“In getting this 21 out, we hope we will get enough intelligence to go about securing the rest of them.

“We are very grateful to the UN for their participation in trying to secure the release of these girls.

“Please don’t forget that as a result of terrorism in Nigeria, no fewer than 37,000 Nigerians were killed by Boko Haram.

“Right now we have about two million people in IDP camps, 60 per cent of them are women and children and 60 per cent of those children are orphaned.

“This is a major challenge for government; we have to provide face infrastructure especially for education and health, take them back to their villages and towns and reintegrate them so that they can have normal life.”

The Nigerian leader thanked the German Government for their humanitarian assistance and support for Nigeria in dealing with the effects of terrorism.

•Photo shows President Buhari and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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