One of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls abducted over two years ago by the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group returned home yesterday morning to the boundless joy of her mother who was said to have been so traumatised by her daughter’s captivity that she attempted to kill herself on two occasions.
The girl, Amina Ali Nkeki, who was found yesterday near Sambisa Forest by group of hunters led by the famous thief-catcher, Ali Kwara, was in the company of a man, a suspected Boko Haram member, who claimed to be her husband.
The hunters escorted her home where she correctly identified her mother and her school vice principal.
After wandering out of the Sambissa forest, Amina was reportedly recognised by a civilian fighter of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), a vigilante group set up to help fight Boko Haram.
She was with a suspected Boko Haram fighter who is now in the Nigerian military’s custody. Named as Mohammed Hayatu, he claimed Amina’s husband.
According to a witness, Aboku Gaji, leader of the JTF in Chibok, reported by BBC,
“The moment this girl was discovered by our vigilantes, she was brought to my house. I instantly recognised her, and insisted we should take her to her parents.
“When we arrived at the house… I asked the mother to come and identify someone. The moment she saw her, she shouted her name: ‘Amina, Amina!’ She gave her the biggest hug ever, as if they were going to roll on the ground, we had to stabilise them.
“The mother called the attention of other relations to come out and see what is happening. The girl started comforting the mother, saying: ‘Please Mum, take it easy, relax. I never thought I would ever see you again, wipe your tears. God has made it possible for us to see each other again.’
“Afterwards, we had to make them understand that the girl would not be left in their care. She must be handed over to the authority.”
Amina and her baby have been taken to taken to the regional capital Maiduguri for medical attention, the military said.
Young Amina was reported to be the only child of Mrs Binta Ali Nkeki, she was understood to have been born when her mother was already at an advanced age.
The young girl, now a nursing mother, was said to have told the hunters that some of the schoolgirls were killed while others are still with the Boko Haram insurgents.
Dr Danladi Saleh, a medical doctor serving in Chibok at the time the girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents two years ago one of the community leaders, confirmed that the girl was found in Mbalala village in Gwoza local government area of Borno State.
“Yes we had the good news about one of our girls who was found near Sambisa Forest by hunters led by a famous hunter and thief-catcher, Alhaji Ali Kwara. Her name is Amina Ali Nkeki. She led the hunters to her village in Mbala where she was reunited with her mother. She has also met with her school vice principal who recognised her. We cannot say her state of health at the moment but I am sure she should be in Damboa town with the security forces there.”
Dr Danladi, who had been involved in providing counseling support to most of the Chibok girls’ traumatised parents, disclosed that Mrs Nkeki (Amina’s mother) almost committed suicide few months after her daughter was kidnapped on April 14, 2014.
“Mrs Binta Nkeki suffered a huge traumatic disorder and she attempted to take her life twice. I had to personally talk to her, telling her that she just has to be alive if she really wanted her daughter to return home alive and safe. Her case was so delicate we had to monitor her carefully until she was able to recover from the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and return to her village, Mbalala,” he said.
A Chibok elder and relative of the girl, Mr Awami Nkeki, said Amina was found in the bush by hunters who took her to Damboa town from where she was taken to her mother’s village.
“It was indeed a happy reunion for mother and child,” said Mr Nkeki. “She was the only companion to her widowed mother. All of them are back in Damboa now; they will be heading for Maiduguri tomorrow (Thursday) where they would be presented to the state government.”
Spokesman of the Nigeria Army, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, also confirmed the development.
According to Nigeria Army officials: Amina Ali Nkeki, the first of the 219 Chibok schoolgirl to be found over 700 days after abduction by Boko Haram, was yesterday flown from Damboa town into Maiduguri, Borno State capital, in a Nigeria Air Force helicopter alongside her four-month-old baby and her supposed Boko Haram husband.
Amina had earlier met with her mother, Mrs Binta Nkeki, and then taken to the Nigeria Army Hospital Barracks, Maiduguri, where she was examined by military doctors before she was taken to Borno State Government House, Maiduguri, where she was handed over to Governor Kashim Shettima by the General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu
Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, spokesman for the Nigeria Army, confirmed this development in a statement issued to the press yesterday.
“The rescued Chibok schoolgirl, Amina Ali, was airlifted by Nigeria Air Force Super Puma aircraft from Damboa to Maiduguri alongside her baby and supposed husband, Mohammed Hayatu,” he said.
“Prior to that, they were examined at Air Force medical facility and were found to be stable and normal blood pressure was observed. Thereafter, she was released to the Operation Lafiya Dole headquarters for further investigation and handover.
“It is believed that she will be brought to Abuja tomorrow (Thursday) along with her parents to meet with Mr President,” he said, adding that the supposed husband was undergoing further investigation at Joint Intelligence Centre.
“It should be noted that Mohammed Hayatu is well treated in line with Operation Lafiya Dole Rules of Engagement regarding insurgents who voluntarily surrender to the military,” he asserted.
A spokesman for Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said the rescued young woman would be brought to meet the head of state, before being helped to reintegrate into society.
The Sambisa Forest, which has been Boko Haram’s stronghold, has long been the suspected location of the Chibok girls. As many as 276 of them were kidnapped at gunpoint from their boarding school in Chibok in Borno, northeast Nigeria, on April 14, 2014. At least 57 girls were able to escape soon after their abduction, but more than 200 of them remain missing.
