Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman said soldiers freed the girl after a Thursday night battle in the northeastern Sambisa Forest, during which 97 women and children were freed and 35 extremists were killed.
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Usman said: “We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the Chibok Government Secondary School girls that were abducted.by the Boko Haram terrorists”.
LAGOS, May 20 (Xinhua) – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met the rescued Chibok schoolgirl, Amina Ali-Nkeki, at the Presidential Villa in the capital Abuja. Amina and her infant baby were found by an army-backed vigilante group near the border with Cameroon.
The army said it had detained a suspected Boko Haram militant called Mohammed Hayatu, who said he was her husband.
“She added that there were three other girls who fled from Shettima Aboh when the troops invaded the area earlier today which led to their rescue”.
Six people were killed on Friday in a village in southern Niger in an attack thought to have been carried out by Boko Haram militants, the Defence Ministry said.
News of a second kidnap victim being found came just two days after one of the Chibok students escaped.
“We’ve cross-checked the list of those missing but the second girl isn’t on the list”, said Auwa Biu, an activist from the #BringBackOurGirls campaign who nevertheless admitted the possibility of mistaken identity. They are believed to be somewhere in the Sambisa forest. Mr. Buhari was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
The president promised the government will do everything possible to help reintegrate her into the society as well as ensure that she continues her education.
Amina’s mother past year spoke of her daughter’s fear of Boko Haram but of her enjoyment of attending school and doing well at her studies. Human rights organizations have said that Boko Haram uses women as sex slaves or in forced marriages to its fighters. Their hope should not wane, as we have every hope that more girls will be rescued.
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The abduction has been a political embarrassment for Mr Buhari, who took office previous year after campaign pledges to find all the girls and stamp out Boko Haram. “Diaris Guuuud o”. We recall this unfortunate episode, because, amusing as it was then, it typified the mind-set of the Goodluck Jonathan government and all its officials, and as we saw including spouses”.
