The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has said negotiations are ongoing for the release of more Chibok schoolgirls still in the custody of the Boko Haram terrorists.
He also expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield the desired result in due course.
Osinbajo made this known on Tuesday evening at an interaction with journalists and activists at the state house in Abuja.
“There is a lot of negotiation going on,” he said.
He said the government has “gone quite far” with negotiations to free more girls, but did not provide details of the negotiations for apparent security reasons.
The vice-president hinted that one of the challenges of freeing the girls was the existence of two factions in Boko-Haram, with each faction holding on to some of the girls.
One of the factions is led by Abubakar Shekau, the erstwhile leader of the group, while a breakaway faction is led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, believed to be a son of the late founder of the group, Mohammed Yusuf.
Osinbajo, however, said the Buhari administration was very committed to the release of the remaining Chibok girls and other captives held by the Boko Haram.
“It is a matter of conscience and it’s a matter that concerns everyone,” he said.
Negotiations between the federal government and Boko Haram had led to the release of 21 of the girls while another three were freed by soldiers. Dozens of others had escaped on their own.