The Nigerian Army has rescued three girls from the jihadist group Boko Harem and returned them home to Chibok, Nigeria.

Back in 2014, 276 girls were kidnapped from their school dormitory in the northeastern town of Chibok. Out of the 276, 57 were able to escape, and 80 were freed in exchange for Boko Haram leaders. However, over 100 girls are still missing.

According to Africa News, the Commander of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, Waibi Shaibu, advised the following:

“Three of the Chibok girls are here with you, these girls are Ruth Bitrus, Kauna Luka and Hannatu Musa. All of them were rescued by the troops of the 21 special armoured brigade after operations that created enabling environment for these girls to escape from their captors.”

While being held captive, the girls were forced to convert to Islam and marry members of the jihadist group; two of the rescued hostages gave birth while in captivity.

BBC News reported that Boko Haram has left 40,000 dead and 2.2 million displaced throughout northeast Nigeria. Many schools/universities were attacked following the 2014 kidnapping in Chibok, but some of the assaults were done by “bandits,” who also engage in mass abductions for money.

The Nigerian government has reportedly paid Boko Haram $3.3m (£2.4m) in ransom money. But in recent kidnappings, parents and loved ones have been left to pay the amounts demanded for their child’s release.

It’s been reported that the militants have recently started abandoning their remaining captives due to the intense multi-national military campaign against them.

Until Next Time…

(Sources)

Photo Credit: Vanguard News

Khalid, I., & FitzGerald, J. (2022, July 27). Nigeria’s Chibok girls: Two victims found eight years on. BBC. Retrieved July 30, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62324294 

Nigeria’s Chibok girls: three women found years after their abduction. Africa. (2022, July 30). Retrieved July 30, 2022, from https://www.africanews.com/2022/07/30/nigerias-chibok-girls-three-women-found-years-after-their-abduction/