Six Chibok girls dead, says survivor
Nigerian student Sa'a, one of the schoolgirls abducted by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram in the northern Nigerian city Chibok in 2014, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 11, 2016, before the House Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organisations on the US Role in Helping Nigeria Confront Boko Haram and Other Threats in Northern Nigeria. Sa'a, who uses a pseudonym to protect her identity, escaped by jumping off a truck carrying the girls and has been studying in the US since January, 2016. PHOTO | NICHOLAS KAMM | AFP
What you need to know:
- Remaining hostages under heavy guard by militants.
ABUJA, Thursday
Six out of the 219 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Nigeria 2014 by Boko Haram militants have died, a colleague rescued on Tuesday has said.
Amina Ali said the girls who were abducted from school on April 14, 2014 were under heavy security in the vast Sambisa Forest.
She was rescued by Nigerian military on Tuesday during an operation against the jihadists at Njimia camp in the forest.
Amina was found near the edge of the large forest, close to the border with Cameroon.
The girl said she escaped while looking for firewood.
A statement by the acting director army public relations, Sani Kukasheka Usman, confirmed that one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls was among the several people rescued by troops at Baale, near Damboa.
“Miss Amina Ali and a suspected Boko Haram terrorist—Mohammed Hayatu—who claimed to be her husband, were rescued. Both were brought to headquarters of 25 Task Force Brigade, Damboa at 2.30pm today,” it said.
SINCE REUNITED
The girl has since been reunited with her family while the man is being held by the military.
Col Usman said that preliminary investigations had shown that Amina was indeed one of the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in April 2014 at Chibok.
“Her name is Amina Ali and not Falmata Mbalala that was earlier reported,” Col Usman said.
The soldier said that Amina was a nursing mother with a four-month-old baby girl called Safiya.
“Both the suspected Boko Haram terrorist and the nursing mother have been taken to Maiduguri for more medical attention and screening,” he said.
A source quoted Amina as saying that the remaining girls were under guard to stop the Nigerian army from rescuing them.
ActionAid Nigeria lobby group said it was great news that the first Chibok school girl had been found.
“This raises hope that the remaining 218 girls and others still held captive by the militants will be rescued and reunited with their families soon,” it said in a statement.
ActionAid Nigeria’s country director Ojobo Ode Atuluku said: “We celebrate with the family of the Chibok girl and commend the effort of the Nigerian army and the civilian joint task force for their efforts at ending insurgency in the north-east of Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government must intensify efforts to seek out the remaining girls,” the statement said.
