Lost But Found: Nine Years After the abduction of the Chibok Girls

Last week, on the 21st of August, many Nigerians woke up to the news of yet another rescue of one of the many Chibok girls in captivity. The Nigerian Army confirmed that its troopers of the 81-task force battalion of ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ rescued one of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by insurgents. The rescued girl […]

Last week, on the 21st of August, many Nigerians woke up to the news of yet another rescue of one of the many Chibok girls in captivity. The Nigerian Army confirmed that its troopers of the 81-task force battalion of ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ rescued one of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by insurgents. The rescued girl identified as Mary Nkeki, with serial number 55 on the list of the abducted Chibok girls, was said to have been found on August 14 in Dikwa LGA of the state. Nkeki said that she escaped with her husband in the night and was picked up by a military patrol team, adding that she left two other Chibok girls behind.

I remember watching the news, years ago, on April 14, 2014, that 276 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok town, Borno. The girls were forced from their dormitories onto trucks and driven into the bush. Fifty-seven girls manage to flee. Three weeks later, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility in a video released on May 5, vowing to sell the girls as slave brides. Another week later, a second video showed about 100 of the missing girls claiming that they had converted to Islam and would not be released unless their militant fighters held in custody of the Nigerian government were freed.

We all recall the recklessness with which the government handled the kidnap. First, it was denied and declared a smear campaign against President Goodluck Jonathan and then gradually, like the five stages of grief, the government came to accept the reality of the situation- that the girls really had been kidnapped. The abduction and subsequent bungled, lopsided and undiplomatic way the government handled the situation while the whole world watched, was one of the final nails in the coffin of President Jonathan re-election campaign.

But I digress. This is not about GEJ.

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Since the abduction, many of the girls have since been rescued while some remain in captivity.

On October 13, 2016, the Nigerian government announced the release of 21 of the girls’ following talks between the government and Boko Haram brokered by Switzerland and the International Red Cross.

So far, the military has reported that 186 schoolgirls had been rescued, while 93 abductees are still in captivity with the terrorists. Some of the girls were rescued in batches during raids, while some like Mary manage to flee and were discovered in nearby north-eastern villages.

However, nearly all of them have a common denominator. Children. Nine years later, many have been married with children.

When Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus, serial numbers two and 103 in the list of the missing victims, were rescued on 21st April this year, there was a three-year-old child with them. It was Hauwa’s child. As if that was not enough, she was also about eight months and two weeks pregnant during the time of her rescue.

Hauwa narrated that while in captivity, she was married off to one Salman, a cameraman to Abubakar Shekau in Gulukos, a village in Sambisa Forest. Salman later died in a Lake Chad attack. Thereafter, Hauwa Maltha was again forcefully married to one Mallam Muhammad in Gobara and had 2 children for him. Both children died during infancy. Muhammad, her second husband, was subsequently killed in Ukuba terrorist enclaves in Sambisa Forest during clashes between Boko Haram/ISWAP. Twenty-six-year-old Esther was also forcefully married to one Garba, also known as Garus, a Boko Haram fighter who was killed during troops’ offensive operations on terrorists’ enclaves.

The situation is so painful and pathetic. Young girls forced in marriage and having babies in the wilderness. Stories of rape, physical abuse, and starvation. Tales of suffering, torture, sexually transmitted illnesses, and bondage. Modern day slavery.

Whenever, I read about the rescue of one of these girls, I remember my meeting with one of them and how differently their lives have turned out. These were girls with hopes and dreams. Girls whose parents loved them and wanted the best for them.

Following the media attention the abduction gathered, some of the girls that fled from the truck that night were given a scholarship to study at the University of Notre Dame in the US. During a fellowship in the states, a couple of us met the young girls. They told us stories of that harrowing night and we marvelled at their bravery. I remember looking at their faces and wondering how dramatically their fate had changed.

Alhamdulillah, I heard they have since graduated and moved on.

But what about the rest? And what are our plans for them? What do we do with these girls who have been traumatised? What plans do we have for their children? Are the children doomed to be stigmatized and labelled as ‘boko haram’ offspring?

The Borno State government has said the rescued victims have been undergoing rehabilitation. The commissioner for women affairs a few years ago noted that her ministry initiated action through mental health and psycho-social support, stressing that the Borno Model of integration had ensured that the victims are regaining their normal frame of mind and sense of society. “These Chibok girls were abducted when they were very young, today they are young women, having been forced to marry their abductors. So, they came out traumatised and dehumanised. We have been able to rehabilitate some of them. The process is still ongoing, even other rescued female victims that went with their husbands, having been removed from their ancestral homes and normal community life, the psychological challenge is highly enormous,” she stated.

One of the rescued Chibok girls, Yana Poni, who was delivered of twins, two months before her escape, said amid tears, “this is not the life I expected of myself. I never knew I would see my parents again.” The 24-year-old Yana disclosed that the father of her three children, a fighter, was still in the bush with the Boko Haram fighters, stressing that it breaks her heart to try to remember how everything happened.

Heartbreaking as it is, the continuous attempt to escape their captors and subsequent rescue of these girls speaks about the resilience and bravery of Nigerians. That these girls, individually by their own accord, nine years later, despite having the burden of children are still willing to escape and walk for hours through a deadly forest under harsh conditions is a testament to their courage. God knows, a lot of us would have resigned to our fate of misery.

The gold however goes to the Nigerian military. Nobody who has lived in the North-eastern part of the country will contest the fact that these people are doing their best. Their continuous dedication to duty, even amidst poor renumeration and lack of adequate gadgets and protection is worthy of commendation. Many of the villages that were once under the dreaded Boko Haram stronghold have since been regained and are being ferociously guarded.

May we never go back to those dark times again.

To the girls who have been fortunate enough to escape or be rescued; remember, you can only go forward from here. It is my hope that the horror you endured serves as a catalyst to propel you to be successful in future. May Allah SWT wipe away your tears and give you strength to raise your children, ameen.

As for the remaining Chibok girls, we will continue to pray for your release and rescue.