Community Urges Govt: Reunite Freed Chibok Girls with Families

The Kibaku Area Development Association has demanded that the Borno State Government allow rescued Chibok girls to reunite with their families. This call came during a press conference held in Abuja to mark the 10th anniversary of the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction by Boko Haram. The attack, which occurred on April 14, 2014, led to the kidnapping of 276 female students aged 16 to 18 from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

Despite national and international outcry, the fate of 89 girls remains uncertain even after a decade, although some have been freed. The community expressed concerns about the girls still in custody, urging their release to their families and not to any other party, including the terrorists or purported repentant militants.

The association criticized the Borno State Government for what it termed the “second captivity” of the rescued girls and called for an end to such situations. Additionally, they challenged the government at all levels to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining girls and denounced the reported marriages between some of the returnees and alleged repentant terrorists.

In response, the Borno State Commissioner of Information and Internal Security provided an update, stating that 187 of the abducted girls had been rescued and reunited with their families. Efforts are ongoing to support the reintegration of the rescued girls into society, including through education and empowerment programs.

Despite the passage of ten years since the abduction, parents like Mrs. Rebecca Samuel, whose daughter is still missing, continue to hope for their children’s safe return and express readiness to embrace them under any circumstance.