The Nigerian army says that one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls has been found, along with her six-month-old baby.

She was discovered by soldiers investigating suspected members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

Nigeria's military said the young woman is undergoing medical checks.

A total of 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the town of Chibok in April 2014. About 200 of them are still in captivity.

More than 20 were released in October in a deal brokered by the International Red Cross. Others have escaped or been rescued.

Over Christmas, 21 of the young women freed under the October deal returned home for the first time.

However, family members told the BBC that they were kept in a politician's house and barred from going to their family homes.

A statement from the office of state governor Kashim Shettima acknowledged that "armed soldiers... escorted the 21 girls to Chibok and remain their strict guards throughout Christmas".

Prior to this, the girls had reportedly been held in a secret location for debriefing by the Nigerian government.

Two weeks ago, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said the army had driven Boko Haram's militants from the last camp in their Sambisa forest stronghold in north-eastern Nigeria.

"The terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide," Mr Buhari said in a statement.

Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced over two million during its seven-year battle to create an Islamic caliphate in the north-east of the country.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by BBC News

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