Troops rescue two Chibok girls in Borno — with two children

Troops of the 202 battalion and 82 division task force battalion have rescued two of the Chibok girls abducted in 2014.

The girls, identified as Hauwa Joseph and Mary Dauda, were found with two children.

On April 14, 2014, over 200 schoolgirls were abducted when insurgents attacked the Government Girls’ Secondary School (GGSS) in Chibok, Borno state.

The abduction of the girls in 2014 was followed by a global outcry that birthed the #BringBackOurGirls movement.

Hauwa, who hails from Mbalala in Askira Uba LGA of Borno state, was rescued alongside her one-year-old child at Ngazua village in Bama LGA of Borno state. 

TheCable understands that Hauwa was forcefully married to one Munzur, six years ago. 

According to Hauwa, she escaped when the Nigerian Army raided a camp where she was kept with Munzur, who died during the military operation.

For Mary Dauda, she was rescued by troops with her one-year-old son, Ayuba, in the general area of Gava in Gwoza LGA, Borno, on June 14.

Mary, who is said to hail from Rumingo in Chibok LGA of Borno, was about 19 years old at the time of her abduction. 

According to Mary, the father of her child was killed alongside about 40 others in May 2022, in an air strike by troops of operation Hadin Kai at Sabil Huda camp in Sambisa forest. 

Checks by TheCable showed that the two rescued victims were numbered 18 and 46 on the list of the abducted Chibok students published by the state government.

The two rescued victims and their babies are currently at a military medical facility in Maiduguri.

Christopher Musa, theatre commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF), north-east, operation Hadin Kai, commended the troops for the achievement recorded against the insurgents.

He also thanked Leo Irabor, the chief of defence staff, and other stakeholders in the military for their strategic guidance and logistics support on the conduct of the ongoing operations. 

The two girls are expected to be handed over to Borno state government.

As of April 2021, a total of 112 girls were said to still be missing — but a few of them have been found.