Army releases rescued Chibok girl, 3 children to Borno govt

The Nigerian Army has handed over the rescued Chibok school girl, Lydia Simon, and her three children to the Borno State Government for reunification with her family.

Maj.-Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, the Theatre Commander, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, disclosed this in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Shuaibu said the troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion rescued the six-month-old pregnant lady alongside her three children in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State on Wednesday, April 17.

Shuaibu said that she was number 18 among the girls who were rescued by the troops.

He explained that the abduction of the Chibok school girls in 2014 made both national and international headlines which culminated in the hashtag, “Bring back our girls”.

Troops rescue another Chibok girl in Borno

According to him, several efforts have been made both internationally and nationally to return the girls safely and reunite them with their families.

Shuaibu said: “One of such national efforts is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves which have yielded positive results to facilitate the rescue of some of the Chibok girls.

“Starting from Esther Marcus, who appears on serial 103 on the abducted Chibok school girls’ list, who was the first to be rescued by troops of 7 Division Gar, till now, efforts are still ongoing.

“Just recently, on April 17, one more Chibok girl was rescued with her three children from the Mandara mountain by troops of the theatre. We will continue to do our best to rescue those still in captivity.

“The rescue will be in line with the strategic direction and guidance from the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.

“We thank the Chief of Army staff for all the resources he has provided in the theatre to achieve its mandate.”

Also speaking, the Acting General Officer Commanding, 7 Division, Brig.-Gen. Abubakar Haruna, said the girl received medical treatment and other care by the Division since her release.

The Star