Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) – Campaigners on Friday questioned a Nigerian
\nmilitary claim that a second Chibok schoolgirl had been rescued, but the
\narmy maintained she was one of the 219 abducted by Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
Yakubu Nkeki, the head of the Chibok Abducted Girls Parents group, said
\nthe military contacted him before an announcement was made on Wednesday
\nabout the discovery of the first girl, Amina Ali.<\/p>\n
“We were able to identify her and then establish her parents,” he told
\nAFP. But there was no call before Nigeria’s army announced late Thursday
\nthat a second schoolgirl had been rescued.<\/p>\n
She was said to be Serah Luka, who was among 97 women and children rescued
\nearlier that day in the Damboa area of the northeastern state of Borno.<\/p>\n
She told troops and civilian vigilantes she was a Christian pastor’s
\ndaughter originally from Madagali, in neighbouring Adamawa state, and had
\nbeen in Chibok to sit her exams.<\/p>\n
Nkeki said his records showed only two girls with the surname Luka.<\/p>\n
“These are Kauna Luka Yana and Naomi Luka Dzakwa. Among the list of
\nparents we have only four priests and none of them is Luka,” he added.<\/p>\n
“Among the girls none of them is from Madagali. They were either from
\nChibok, Damboa, Askira and Uba (all in Borno state). So I can say… that
\nthis girl is not among the abducted Chibok girls.<\/p>\n
“We were never contacted by the military for verification of the girl’s
\nidentity before the announcement was made.”<\/p>\n
A human rights activist in Mubi, Adamawa, who asked not to be identified
\nbecause of the sensitive nature of his work, also said a Serah Luka was
\nnot on the list of the missing.<\/p>\n
A senior Nigerian military source said it was “beyond reasonable doubt”
\nthat the schoolgirl was among the 219 held by the Islamists since the
\nkidnapping on April 14, 2014.<\/p>\n
“The military personnel who carried out the rescue operation and the
\ncivilian vigilantes who assisted them and those who know the girl
\nconfirmed that she is among those abducted,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We can only change our position if the principal of the school or the
\ngovernment of Borno state come out and refute this established identity of
\nthe girl.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) – Campaigners on Friday questioned a Nigerian military claim that a second Chibok schoolgirl had been rescued, but the army maintained she was one of the 219…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n