Five Boko Haram commanders have been released in exchange for the freedom of 82 Chibok schoolgirls, a Nigerian government official said.
The newly freed schoolgirls should be quickly released to their families and not be subjected to lengthy government detention, Amnesty International's Nigeria office said, adding that they don't deserve to be put through a "publicity stunt" and deserve privacy.
The girls' abduction sparked the robust "Bring Back Our Girls" social media campaign, which even went viral in the West, but none of the girls were reportedly freed until last October.
Over 200 girls were kidnapped at Chibok Girls Secondary School on April 14, 2014, to the shock of many Nigerians and the worldwide community.
"The federal government would like to commend the security agencies, the Red Cross, local authorities, local and foreign NGOs and all those who contributed in one way or another to secure the release of our Chibok girls". Others have escaped or been rescued, but 195 were believed to be still in captivity before this release.
Last month, President Buhari said the government remained "in constant touch through negotiations, through local intelligence to secure the release of the remaining girls and other abducted persons unharmed".
Boko Haram released 21 of the school girls in October 2016.
Family members who had not seen their relatives for more than three years also lined up at the airport to greet the girls.
Now, three years after their horrifying abduction, 82 of the young women have been freed following negotiations to have Boko Haram suspects returned to the terror organization.
But the groundswell eventually waned and the Associated Press reports, numerous girls were forced into marriages with their captors and others were feared to have been forced into suicide bombing missions.
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The girls were released on Saturday after negotiation with the militants.
Neither the Nigerian president nor Boko Haram, which has links to the Islamic State extremist group, gave details on the exchange.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says it acted as a neutral intermediary and transported the 82 freed schoolgirls to Nigeria's government on May 6.
The Nigerian government previously issued a statement that a deal was struck in return for "some" Boko Haram suspects.
"Welcome our girls, welcome our sisters, we are happy to have you back, we are very glad that you are back", said Abba Kyari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, as he greeted the girls at a police hospital.
The girls were released near the town of Banki in Borno state near Cameroon and will be transported to the capital, Abuja.
Bring Back Our Girls campaigners call on the government to rescue the remaining kidnapped Chibok girls, on April 13, 2017.
The girls were earlier airlifted from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to Abuja on Sunday afternoon. Boko Haram's Shekau claimed in a video message that they had converted to Islam.
More than 15,000 people have been killed during the conflict and approximately 2 million people have been displaced.
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