Police authorities in Nigeria say that they have arrested eight persons who allegedly were involved in the kidnap of some 276 secondary school girls in the town of Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria.
The kidnap incident took place in 2014 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The suspects are believed to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect which has mastermind terrorist attacks in Northeast Nigeria.
The police claim the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team in Adamawa and Borno States.
The Chibok girls saga remains fully unresolved as over a hundred of them are still in captivity after the Nigerian government, through international collaborations, secured the release of 112 girls.
Media reports say that about €3 million were paid as ransom to secure release of the girls. The Buhari-led administration continues to deny, however, that it paid any ransom.
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While many are still in search of the truth, the country was to witness another mass abduction of 110 schools girls in Dapchi town, Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria. Another round of negotiations saw the release of all but one of the girls, Leah Sharibu, who is believed to be kept in captivity because of her belief in the Christian faith.
Analysts view the police claims of recent arrests as welcome and hope that it would provide important leads to resolving the many terrorist attacks in the troubled region which have claimed thousands of lives.
There are, however, concerns also that the recent parade of the 8 suspects may be a deliberate public show to shore up waning image of the Buhari administration which has struggled with unresolved killing of hundreds of Nigerians by herdsmen suspected to be of the Fulani stock, and recent siege on military formations by Boko Haram terrorists.