One of the schoolgirls abducted in 2014 from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, Lydia Simon returned yesterday with three kids.
The rescued ‘young mother’, who was handed over to the Borno State government by the military for reunification with her family, is believed to be six months pregnant.
North-East Joint Task Force (Operation Hadin Kai), Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, who handed them over said that troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion rescued the six-month-old pregnant lady alongside her three children on 17 April, in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.
Gen. Shuaibu said that she was number 18 among the girls that were rescued by the military.
He explained that the abduction of the female pupils 10 years ago, made both national and international headlines which culminated in the hashtag, “#Bringbackourgirls”.
According to him, several efforts have been made both internationally and nationally to rescue the girls safely and reunite them with their families.
The Theatre Commander said: “One of such national efforts is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves which have yielded positive results to facilitate rescue of some of the Chibok girls.
“Starting from Esther Marcus, who appears on serial 103 on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls’ list, who was the first to be rescued by troops of 7 Division Gar, till now, efforts are still ongoing.
“Just recently, on 17 April, one more Chibok girl was rescued with her three children from the Mandara mountain by troops of the theatre. We will continue to do our best to rescue those still in captivity.
“The rescue will be in line with the strategic direction and guidance from the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.
“We thank the Chief of Army Staff for all the resources he has provided in the theatre to achieve its mandate”, he said.
The Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Brig.-Gen. Abubakar Haruna said the girl received medical treatment and other care from the Division since her rescue.
