Two more two abducted Chibok school girls, Hauwa Joseph and Mary Dauda have been rescued by the troops of the Northeast Operation Hadin Kai, eight years after their abduction by members of Boko Haram insurgents.
It would be recalled that over 200 school girls were abducted by the members of Boko Haram insurgents at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok Borno state on 14th April, 2014.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after they were presented to journalists by the Theatre Commander Operation Hadin Kai, Northeast, Major General Christopher Musa at the Theater Headquarters, Maimakari Cantonment, Maiduguri yesterday, one of the rescued Chibok girls, Mary Dauda said they are still over 20 Chibok school girls in the captivity of the insurgents in Sambiza forest, Gasurwa camp, Njimiya and Mandara mountain and other enclaves of Boko Haram.
She lamented that some of them were killed during military jets on clearing missions on the insurgents enclaves.
Narrating her ordeal, Mary Dauda said when they were kidnapped and brought to the Sambisa forest they were asked to embrace Islam and most of those that embraced Islam were released during the agreement between Federal Government and the insurgents.
Dauda said, “those of us that refused to embrace Islam were turned to domestic slaves, where we sweep, cook, fetch water, wash clothes and plates among others domestic works for the insurgents. They later forced us to embraced Islam and married us out to their members were I got married to the father of my about two-year-old child.”
Mary Dauda said she had to take permission that she was going to visit her sister at the Bayan Dutse before she was allowed to go out, stressing that she trekked from Sambisa to Gava and other places before getting to Ngoshe and her eventual rescue by the military.
Both Hauwa Joseph and Mary Dauda expressed gratitude to the military for rescuing them after spending eight years in the captivity of the insurgents.
Presenting Mary Dauda and Hauwa Joseph to the newsmen at the headquarters, Northeast Operation Hadin Kai , Maimalari cantonment, Maiduguri yesterday, Theatre Commander, Major General Christopher Musa said the duo were rescued with their babies between 1 to 3 years as a result of the massive military operations in Sambisa Forest, Mandara mountain and the Lake Chad area.
While assuring that the remaining abducted school girls will be rescued, General Musa said “we are lucky to have been able to recover two of the Chibok girls we are happy at least they are looking more healthier, it has been more traumatic. But we are happy and glad that this ones are out, we are putting in more effort to ensure that we get more of them in the general area ”.
“Apart from rescuing these two Chibok girls with their children, we have also decimated dozens of terrorists who have been hiding in the Sambisa forest, especially the Timbuktu Triangle during our fighting patrols, he stated.
He further explained that “as the rainy season set in and a lot of farmers are willing to go to their farms, we will work tirelessly to provide safety for our farmers in their farming activities, but we want to appeal that the farmers should be wary of some planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by terrorists in some areas, even though, the military is doing everything possible to clear most of the places suspected to have unexploded IEDs planted by terrorists in the region.
“I want to also appeal to the Federal and State Government and other philantrophic organisations to assist farmers with agricultural inputs or farming tools to boost the morale of the teeming farmers who have since relocated to their liberated communities, he added.
Shedding more light on their rescue, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Waidi Shaibu said Hauwa Joseph who was on serial number 18 was rescued with her child on the 12th June, 2022 in Bama local government area, while Mary Dauda who was on serial number 46 was rescued with her child on 14th June same year during troops’ fighting patrol Ngishe all in the Division Area of Responsibility.
General Shaibu said, all the girls and their children have undergone proper medical check- up and treatment, stressing that they would be handed over to the appropriate authorities before they are reunited with their families.
