Following an agreement made between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram, 21 abducted Nigerian schoolgirls have been reunited with their families in the town of Banki, according to the BBC.
Last Thursday, Boko Haram released the girls to the International Committee of the Red Cross, who were later reunited with their families in what can only be described as the epitome of sheer relief.
Tears flowed as the rain tumbled down on the now-free schoolgirls and their families, who, between embracing each other tightly, took to the streets to dance in the downpour.
As previously reported by The Weekly, the schoolgirls, aged between 16 and 18 at the time of their abduction, were kidnapped from their dormitories at the Government Secondary School in Chibok on April 14, 2014. It is believed that many were forced to convert to Islam, with some of these women being sold as wives to members of the extremist group for $12.50 each.
In this latest exchange between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government, a security official told the BBC that four Boko commanders were released from custody in exchange for the freed girls.
Yet, while 21 of these girls have been returned to their families, our thoughts and prayers continue to stay with those girls who remain missing and, worse yet, those among them who are feared dead.
