Nigeria's Chibok girls: three women found years after their abduction

Eight years after they were abducted from their school dormitory, three of the Chibok girls have been rescued by the Nigerian army. They are part of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok.

At a press conference held by the Borno regional army, the now adult women could be seen along with their young children. "Three of the Chibok girls are here with you, these girls are Ruth Bitrus, Kauna Luka and Hannatu Musa. All of them were rescued by the troops of the 21 special armoured brigade after operations that created enabling environment for these girls to escape from their captors.", said Waibi Shaibu, Commander of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army.

Out of the 276 girls abducted in 2014, 57 have been able to escape and 80 have been freed in exchange for Boko Haram leaders. But according to the authorities, 100 are still gone missing.

In captivity, many of these women were forced to convert to Islam and marry members of the jihadist group.

Other schools or universities in Nigeria's North have been attacked by jihadists or criminal groups who have been carrying out mass kidnappings for ransom in the last decade.