Barely One Month After 21 Captives Released, Another Chibok Girl Rescued |PoliFocus

The Nigerian Army yesterday announced the rescue of another Chibok schoolgirl in Pulka, Borno State.

Maryam Ali Maiyanga, according to the military, was discovered during the screening of escapees from Boko Haram’s hideout in Sambisa forest.



A statement issued by the Army spokesperson, Colonel Sani Usman, said the girl was carrying a 10-month-old baby when troops found her.She is the first to escape from Boko Haram less than a month after the negotiated release of 21 other girls to the Nigerian government.

Boko Haram abducted over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, sparking global outrage.Colonel Usman said, “Nigerian Army troops have rescued another Chibok school girl at Pulka.

“Troops of 121 Battalion, deployed at Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, for Operation Lafiya Dole, on Saturday, November 5, 2016, at 6.00am, while screening some escapees from Boko Haram terrorists’ hideout in Sambisa forest, discovered one of the abducted Government Secondary School Chibok girls, named Maryam Ali Maiyanga among them.

“She was discovered to be carrying a 10-month-old son,named Ali. She has been taken to the unit’s medical facility for proper medical checkup.

“It is imperative to state that troops have been working round the clock to clear remnants of Boko Haram terrorists wherever they might be hibernating and also rescue all persons held hostages by terrorists.”

When Daily Trust on Sunday contacted the father of the rescued girl, Ali Maiyanga, by phone yesterday night, heconfirmed the release of his daughter.

The father, who lives in Askira-Uba, over 30kms from Chibok, said he had spoken to her by phone.

Two of his daughters were seized during the mass abduction of the schoolgirls from Chibok. “I was contacted by the officials of the Borno State government who put my daughter on phone to speak tome,” Maiyanga said, adding that he was full of joy.

He said before the call by government officials, his relatives who saw the girl’s picture and stories on the social media after the release had called and informed him.

“The whole of our community is celebrating, with people trooping to my house to rejoice with us. I give thanks to God for it and pray that the insurgents set free her sister,” he said.

Also confirming the rescue, the Borno State government Saturday said the girl was received on behalf of the state government by the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Barr. Kaka Shehu Lamin.

The commissioner promised to convey the girl to Abujaon Sunday, so that Governor Kashim Shettima could hand her over to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I want to assure you that the first thing tomorrow (Sunday) morning, our precious young girl in the company of our delegation, will meet His Excellency, the governor, in Abuja for the proper handover to him so that he can handover this lady to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Thereafter, the process of deradicalizing and reuniting her with her family would follow,” he said.The commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, while handing over the rescued girl to the Borno State government, said: “This morning, as part of the operation we’ve been conducting, we rescued one of the Chibok girls by name Maryam Maiyanga. Our troops in Pulka rescued her along with aBoko Haram member.

“And of course, the baby that you can see with her is a 10-month-old baby. And of course, we had to send the aircraft to go to bring her.

“We felt that it’s essential to hand her along with her baby over to the Borno State government.

“On behalf of the officers and soldiers of Operation Lafiya Dole, I would like to hand over to you, one of the Chibok schoolgirls by the name Maryam Maiyanga,” he said.

In another development, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor has confirmed that an officer and six soldiers lost their livesduring an encounter with Boko Haram militants in Malam-Fatori, the headquarters of Abadam Local Government area of Borno State.

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