The 21 freed Chibok Girls have disclosed on Sunday in Abuja that for “one
month and 10 days’’ of their abduction by the Boko Haram insurgents, they
stayed without food in the bush.
Ms Gloria Dame, one of the rescued girls, narrated this while giving
testimony on behalf of her colleaques at a thanks giving service organised
for them at a DSS health facility in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Jummai
Alhassan, attended the service.
The girl, who spoke in Hausa language, said that their survival in
captivity was an act of God.
“I did not know that a day like this will come that we will be dancing and
giving thanks to God among people.
“For one month and 10 days we stayed without food. I narrowly escaped bomb
blast in the forest.
“We are praying to God to touch the heart of Boko Haram to repent and we
are calling on Nigerians to pray and fast for the release of our remaining
ones in captivity,’’ she said.
NAN reports that while the service was going on, the parents of the freed
girls arrived the venue and were reunited with their loved ones after over
two years of their abduction.
With the arrival of the parents, the environment was charged with emotion
and tears of joy.
NAN reports that the parents took turn to address the congregation and
thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians for their efforts and
prayers towards the rescue of their daughters.
Reactions
The Chairman of Chibok Local Government Council, Mr Yaga Yarakawa, said
the release of the girls was “historic’’ and the Chibok community at home
and in the Diaspora were happy about the development.
Yarakawa said contrary to views of some Nigerians, the 21 freed girls were
the actual Chibok Secondary School girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.
“Before their abduction, I was involved in supervising their feeding which
was organised by the Borno State Secondary Schools Feeding System. So I
know them very well.
“These are the real girls and you can see when their parents came, you see
their joy, it manifest naturally.
“This is enough to tell you that it is a reality and anybody who say
different things or doubting, may be the person has a different agenda
altogether,’’ he said.Y
arakawa appealed to the government to put all necessary machinery in place
to ensure the release of the other girls.
Speaking in same vein, Mr Yakubu Nkaki, the Chairman of Abducted Chibok
Girls’ Parents Association, thanked the President for the release of the
girls.
He said from the physical looks of the girls it was obvious that they were
not radicalised as claimed by some people.
He also debunked the claim that many of the girls were pregnant.