PARENTS IDENTIFY 21 CHIBOK GIRLS
Families Head to Abuja to Meet Daughters Pictures of Emaciated Girls Elicit Concerns Mediators Call For Caution
Families of 21 Chibok schoolgirls freed on Thursday by Boko Haram, yesterday left Chibok for Abuja to reunite with their daughters.
The parents will be seeing the girls for the first time in over 900 days since they were abducted from their school by the Boko Haram insurgents.
The girls were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 and freed two days ago after negotiations.
Residents told Daily Trust on Sunday that two buses had conveyed the parents early Saturday morning to Abuja, where they would meet with the girls.
Also, the chairman of Chibok Girls Parents Association, Yakubu Nkenke, told our correspondent by phone yesterday that all the girls had eventually been identified by their parents, saying he was travelling to Abuja with the parents to meet their daughters.
He expressed satisfaction with the role played by the government.
“I am travelling to Abuja with all the parents of the freed girls, all of us are here. We are overwhelmed with joy that our girls have been found alive. I cannot talk more because we are approaching security checkpoints,” he said.
A cousin to seven of the kidnapped girls, George Fali, also said the parents were conveyed to Abuja early Saturday.
According to him, eight families had identified their daughters through the list that was released by authorities. He said other parents living outside Chibok towns had been notified and sent the list.
“A bus came and conveyed eight mothers to Abuja, while others took a vehicle at the Chibok motor park,” he said.
Fali disclosed that only names were sent to the parents in Chibok.
He said the first set of families that recognised their daughters resided within Chibok town.
According to him, only one of his cousins was lucky to be set free by the Boko Haram sect, giving her name as Asabe Goni.
“I also know another girl who lives in our Untako area in Chibok, but we are not related,” he said.
All the parents of the freed girls were still alive, he said.
“I was very happy to hear the news of their release because eight of them are girls that I’m related to and know very well. When they were in school, I always visited them and took food to them, as an elder brother,” he said.
“I was devastated by their abduction and not myself until this 21 were set free,” he said.
He said that the community was enveloped by both happiness and anxiety as the news of the release was published on the internet, adding that every affected parent hoped their daughter was among those freed.
“When we subsequently got the names of the girls, some parents felt disappointed and stopped going to farms,” he said.
The release has raised hopes among other parents that their daughters will one day return home.
Our correspondent, who was in Chibok yesterday, reports that people in the town and neighbouring communities were happy about the girls’ release.
Bulama Modu Lawal, the Vice Principal of GSS Chibok, from where the girls were taken more than two years ago, expressed appreciation to the federal and Borno State governments for their unrelenting efforts that led to the return of the girls to their parents.
He said the face of each of the 21 freed girls flickered on his mind as the Chibok Local Council chairman read out their names to him immediately after the news broke out.
“I became emotional when I heard their names and their faces came to my mind. They were my students,” he said.
He said beside the biological parents of the girls, nobody was happier with their release than the school officials because the girls were grabbed when they were under their custody.
Ali Maiyanga Askira, the father of two girls still in captivity, Maryam and Halima, said the parents of Chibok girls had lived in total frustration until the rescue of the first girl three months ago.
Maiyanga, an active member of the parents’ association of the school, said the release of as many as 21 girls had filled him with confidence.
“My special thanks go to President Muhammadu Buhari, the international partners, Aisha Murtala of Murtala Ramat Foundation, the civil organisations for their unrelenting support to the families,” he said.
Thauji Bra, a 65-year-old man living in Rumirgo village in Askira Local Area, said he last saw his daughter, Saratu, in an earlier video released by Boko Haram.
He said life had been difficult since the abduction saga and Boko Haram compounded his sorrow when they killed his eldest son on the farm, leaving behind two wives and nine children.
“After taking away Saratu, they killed my eldest son. Now, I take care of nine children and nine grandchildren,” he lamented.
On receiving the news of the 21 girls, Bra said he felt relieved and tried to make enquiries about their identities before his son in Lagos called to tell him “she was not among them.”
He, however, believed that the Buhariled administration had demonstrated more commitment to get his daughter back to him than the previous government of Goodluck Jonathan.
He said families of the remaining girls could not wait to hear the release of their daughters.
The parents also applauded the government of Switzerland, Department of State Service (DSS), Red Cross and a local NGO in Borno State that facilitated the truce that led to the return of the 21 girls.
Bated breath The pump and pageantry that heralded the return of Amina Nkeki, the first girl to be found among the 219 missing girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok was a child’s play compared to how the celebration that was witnessed in the agrarian village in Borno State when news of the release of the 21 girls filtered in.
There were voices of joy that at last, a window has been found which paved the way for the 21 of the missing girls to find their way home through a clearly defined method.
The latest set of girls, who were among the 276 taken away by the Boko Haram, found themselves out of the clutches of their abductors on October 13, 2016, exactly 30 months after they were collectively taken away on April 14, 2014.
Residents of Chibok, relatives and opinion leaders who spoke to our correspondents, said the re-appearance of the girls came as a “shocking surprise” that brought about spontaneous joy in the town.
“There was thunderous jubilation by all the people of Chibok for this wonderful breakthrough,” said Musa Emos, a school teacher from Chibok.
He said the jubilation resonated because hope had waned in the last few months.
“It is now exactly two years and six months when the girls were taken away. And to be honest with you, when we had that ISIS had disowned Shekau, we all had a kind of feverish frustration, thinking that the fate of our girls had further crumbled
“And do you know why we felt sick? It’s because he was in possession of the girls and at the same time the most vicious and we thought anything could happen to our daughters as Shekau had been made angry,” he said.
Naomi Emos, who is an aunt to one of the missing girls, said only those that were present could quantify the joy in Chibok when the news broke that 21 girls had been set free.
“The coming of these girls is particularly gratifying for so many reasons,” she said.
“There is a sharp difference between Amina Nkeki’s escape and the latest release of 21 girls.
“Don’t forget that the return of Amina some months back was just a miracle, she was not released.
“But the return of these 21 girls is the product of conscientious efforts of some people, when we all lost hope that the girls would ever return because the chances are just not there.
“We are really humbled by all those who made this breakthrough possible. The recent development is as surprising and shocking as the abduction,” she added.
It was gathered that almost everybody in
One of the leading negotiators said unguarded utterances by almost everybody, including parents of the girls, right groups, security forces and politicians may derail the negotiation process
Chibok changed his scheduled programme in the early hours of Thursday, October 11, when it was confirmed that the girls were being ferried in a military helicopter to the Air Force Base in Maiduguri, after they were received by the negotiators in Kumshe village, along the border between Nigeria and Cameroon.
“Those of us planning to go to our farms dropped our hoes with enthusiasm ahead of the formal announcement that some of the girls have been found,” said Shettima Musa, an uncle to another girl.
He said traders who were planning to go to Damboa jettisoned the idea while some mothers that were about going out for various engagements also deferred the plan.
“Even children that were on their way to primary schools simply removed their uniforms and we all converged at the village square, yearning for more stories on what actually transpired,” Musa said.
Before 12 noon on Thursday, Chibok was filled to the brim as people from other villages all thronged to the famous town.
Parents, relatives and friends of abducted girls from places like Mbalala hamlet and other villages all converged and joyfully joined the already elated Chibok people and continued expressing gratitude to God.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that after the initial joy by all, the mood started changing as every single parent started hoping that his or her daughter was among the lucky 21. Most of them became agitated They therefore hanged around, anxiously waiting until around 6pm when some of the pictures and names were released in Abuja.
According to Mustapha Ali, a youth in Chibok, “We were partially relieved when, through the use of social media, some of our people in Abuja sent the names through WhatsApp and text messages.”
“Almost every mother was rushing to see if her daughter’s name was there.
“And when the 21 names were read aloud, a mixed feeling set in as dozens of mothers, who did not hear the names of their daughters started waiting.”
“I also cried profusely when I didn’t hear the name of my daughter,” Ishaya Musa, one of those with high expectation said.
“As I said several times ago, I wish my daughter will also be found. I love all the girls but I pray my daughter is found, but alas, she is still with the abductors,” he said. Shocking pictures By nightfall, the release of pictures of the 21 rescued Chibok girls, who looked emaciated, sick and distressed made all the parents who saw their daughters and others that did not to go into fresh round of pains.
“The pictures of the girls were really sickening and mothers could not control their tears. It was really sickening,” said Awomi Nkeki, a native of Chibok, who is now the secretary of Biu Local Government Area.
“Everyone with human feeling will cry at the sight of the girls because there is evidence of suffering in their looks.
“But we are grateful they are back. We are also praying all the rest would return soon,” he said. Mediators call for caution Those engaged in the mediation process have called for caution so as not to jeopardise the return of the remaining girls.
One of the leading negotiators said unguarded utterances by almost everybody, including parents of the girls, right groups, security forces and politicians may derail the negotiation process.
“It’s not yet over as more than 80 per cent of the girls are still with the insurgents, and therefore, the need to trade softly.
“Some of us go out of our way to broker this move out of patriotism. We should keep praying and doing the right thing so that at the end of the day we would all celebrate,” the mediator who does not want to be named said. Many more yet to come home At present, 197 of the Chibok girls are still in the wilderness. Originally, 276 girls were taken away from the school, while 57 escaped on the way. So far, 22 are back.
Besides those that died, more than half of those in captivity said they would not return, sources close to the negotiation said.
“Only 104 are willing to return to their parents while the rest said they were not interested in coming back.
“The 21 that returned were among the 104. The rest said they had ‘accepted Islam’ and had already gotten married to some Boko Haram commanders and leaders,” the source said.
“And during the negotiation, Shekau said he would not compel any of the girls to renounce their new found religion and love,” he said.
Another member of the negotiating team said even those that were married off may likely return, depending on how the Federal Government handles to postinsurgency programme.
“Clearly, the Boko Haram crisis is coming to an end, but another difficult programme is post-insurgency, which include rehabilitation, reconstruction and most importantly, finding an avenue for reconciliation,” he said.
“Reconciliation is the most difficult aspect because it entails allowing the repentant Boko Haram insurgents to co-habit with the larger population.”
When asked if that would ever be possible, considering the carnage done by the Boko Haram, he said: “Very possible, there is nothing that cannot be done if there is a commitment. Try and visit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda and see how foes are now living as a family. It is very possible and I hope we can do it.
“If there is serious reconciliation, many people, not only the Chibok girls would get reunited with their families,” he said.
Military working to secure release of all abducted persons – DHQ
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday that the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies were working together to finish the war on terror.
A statement from Defence spokesman, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, said the ongoing military operation was making unprecedented progress with rescue of captives held by the terrorists and that it would continue until all those taken by the insurgents are freed.
Abubakar, who made the statement in response to report by an online newspaper insinuating that there were mixed feelings among the Nigerian military rank and file as a result of the recent release of some Chibok girls, maintained that there was no “dissatisfaction” in the Armed Forces over the issue.
He said the Armed Forces would continue to work closely with all security agencies to tackle insurgency.
“The DHQ has said that negotiation with the terrorists or any other group rests purely on our respected political leaders. The military operations to rid our land of terrorists will continue,” he said.
He said not all information were meant for public consumption due to processes, which were purely political.