Why Borno is yet to celebrate rescue of 187 Chibok schoolgirls – Zulum

Governor Babagana Zulum has said that Borno State Government is yet to celebrate return or rescue of the 187 out of the total 276 abducted Chibok schoolgirls, because, quite a number of them amounting to about 89 are still in captivity.

He therefore solicited prayers from all and sundry to ensure that the remaining Chibok girls and others in captivity are rescued.

Zulum however appreciated the sustainable and collective efforts put in place by government, security agencies, members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and other stakeholders for not only rescuing many of the Chibok girls and other victims, but also restore relative peace in the state.

The governor was represented during a joint press briefing on Saturday at the NUJ Centre, Maiduguri by Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Professor Usman Tar and his counterpart from the ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development , Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo marking 10- year anniversary since the abduction saga.

He regretted that, it is now 10 years ago when Boko Haram armed terrorists invaded Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, precisely on 14th April, 2014.

The text read by Professor Tar partly reads “The Borno State Government is committed to rescuing and reuniting the remaining Chibok girls and reuniting them with their families. We understand the pain and anguish that the families of those still in captivity are going through, this is our sorrow!

“We also wish to use this occasion to take stock of the rescued girls and provide an update on how the girls are coming to terms with adjusting to normal life after captivity, and efforts of the Borno State Government to sustain the momentum on the rescue of the remaining girls.“

So far, out of the 276 abducted Chibok Girls,187 have been rescued and reunited with their families. Most of the rescued girls have, over the years, been enrolled in different schools or graduated under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.

A number of the girls have been enrolled into local and foreign scholarships or empowerment programmes.

Many have since been reunited with their immediate families and are continuing to receive psychosocial support to reconcile them with normal life.