Parents of freed Nigeria schoolgirls still wait to see them

Some of the recently released girls from Chibok wait in Abuja on May 8, 2017.

The released group of girls are part of the 276 girls - often referred to as the "Chibok girls" - who were abducted from their school as they took exams in the village of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, in April 2014.

Five Boko Haram commanders were released in exchange for the girls' freedom, a Nigerian government official said Sunday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross helped negotiate the girls' release along with the Swiss government. They have been in government care for medical attention, trauma counseling and rehabilitation. "We're waiting on the government to let us know when this will be possible".

It is unclear how many Boko Haram prisoners were released in exchange for the girls.

The Chairman, Chibok Community in Abuja, Hosea Tsambido, told reporters in Abuja, on Tuesday, that the attitude of the Federal Government was not only suspicious but was at variance with how the government handled the rescue of the 21 schoolgirls in October previous year.

Previously, as many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately after the mass abduction.

Nkeki said he had met the 82, including his niece, whom he said was "in good condition and in high spirits". "The government says it is giving them some instruction so they will be ready to go to school", he said. Nkeki said only he had been able to see the girls, although some parents had spoken to their daughters by phone.

More than 100 girls remain in Boko Haram custody and negotiations with the terror group continue, the government said.

Nkeki said seven of the 21 students freed previously had shrapnel wounds, which needed surgical treatment.

Ryan Cummings, director of political and security risk management consultancy, Signal Risk, told IBTimes UK: "It is hard to speculate the impact that the release of the detained commanders would have on the operational capacity of the sect, given that we do not know the identities of the operatives released as a result of the hostage exchange".

"They will face a long and hard process to rebuild their lives after the indescribable horror and trauma they have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram", said Pernille Ironside, acting representative of UNICEF Nigeria.

Twenty-one girls were released in October 2016 as part of the same negotiation process, and a further three girls escaped or were rescued by January. Analysts said it was likely others may have developed sympathies for their captors over time.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displacement of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since their insurgency in 2009.

"The Nigerian Army is happy with the safe return of the girls".

He said: "I rejoice with the parents because I understand what they are going through. In addition, there are concerns about the quality and effectiveness of what has been offered".