Abducted Chibok Girls: One Rescued, Six Dead In Captivity

Members of the Civilian Joint Task Force operating in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State have rescued one of the abducted Chibok girls, while six have died in captivity.

Amina Ali, who was rescued on Wednesday, was abducted along with over 200 of her schoolmates in the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in the middle of the night in April 2014.

Our correspondent in Maiduguri, Blessing Tunoh, reports that a member of the Civilian JTF, involved in the rescue said “six of her classmates have died in captivity”, adding that “throughout their stay in Sambisa Forest, they were heavily guarded”.

The rescued mother of one said for now, she is not aware of the condition of the girls still in captivity.

Secretary of the Association of Parents of the Abducted Chibok Girls, Zanna Usman confirmed Amina’s return to Channels TV Correspondent via a phone call.

Usman said that Amina, who was found with a child with other women in Sambisa, following military operations told the civilian JTF members that she was taken from Chibok.

Usman said that he has met Amina, who has since been reunited tearfully with her family in Balala village.

The Nigerian military in a statement said “troops of 25 Brigade Damboa in conjunction with Civilian JTF deployed in one of the blocking positions at Baale, near Damboa rescued one Miss Amina Ali and a suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Mohammed Hayatu, who claimed to be her husband.

“Both were brought to Headquarters 25 Task Force Brigade Damboa at about 2.30pm today (Wednesday)”.

The statement, signed by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, added that “preliminary investigation shows that she is indeed one of the abducted Chibok School girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists on 14th April 2014 in Chibok and her name is Amina Ali as against Falmata Mbalala that was earlier stated.

“In addition, she is a nursing mother with a 4 month old baby girl who was named Safiya”, he said.

Col Usman further noted that “both the suspected Boko Haram terrorist and the nursing mother have been taken to Maiduguri for further medical attention and screening”.

Governor Kashim Shettima was in a meeting with United Nations Humanitarian Affairs officials at the Borno Government said that he had received the news of the rescue but was yet to be briefed.