Freed Chibok girls prevented from attending church and spending Christmas at home

The 21 Chibok girls who were released by Boko Haram in October were reportedly kept from attending church and spending Christmas at home with their families.

According to VOA News, the girls were held for trauma counseling and rehabilitation in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. The officials said that they would fly their parents to Abuja, but they demanded to spend Christmas at home. They were brought back to Chibok on Christmas Eve, but they were kept at a legislator's house.

Some of the parents said that the girls wanted to attend the Christmas service at their church, but they were told to remain at the legislator's house for their security.

The girls were only allowed to see their parents after Borno state Gov. Kashim Shettima arrived on Monday. Human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe said the governor came with cameras to have his pictures taken while he was officially presenting the girls to their parents.

"In terms of a Christmas family reunion, this has got to rank amongst the world's most spectacular failed parties," said Ogebe.

"The Grinch, or in this case the government, stole their Christmas this time. Not the terrorists," he added.

"What is the point of bringing them home if we as their parents can't see them?" a father who requested not to be identified asked, according to NAIJ.

One of the mothers lamented that the government deliberately broke their hearts during the holidays.

Garba Shehu, a spokesman for the president, stated that the security operatives responsible for protecting the girls had misinterpreted the instructions that were given to them regarding the objective of the trip. He said orders have "been given from headquarters for access by the parents to be eased."

Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok in April 2014. Some were able to escape within hours, but 219 remained in captivity. The 21 girls were released in October through negotiations mediated by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The government announced this week that negotiations to free the remaining girls are ongoing.