• Freed females moved to Gwoza
By Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

Following the rescue of 293 women and girls from Sambisa forest by
Nigerian troops, the Borno State Government on Wednesday confirmed that
the rescued women and girls are not the missing Chibok schoolgirls who
were abducted a year ago by Boko Haram insurgents, but indigenes of
Bumsiri village in Damboa Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Dr. Mohammed Bulama, at a briefing,
told journalists that the profiles of the 200 girls and 93 women rescued
by the military on Tuesday showed that they were abducted by Boko Haram
insurgents from Bumsiri village.
The Borno government, through Bulama, commended the Nigerian Army for
rescuing the 293 women/girls from captivity, adding that it still
believed and hoped that other abducted persons would be rescued soon.
Bulama said the government had started making plans to put in place all
the necessary structures to rehabilitate and reintegrate the freed 293
females back into the society.
“These girls and women rescued are still our daughters, just as much as
the Chibok girls, and we have to commend the military for liberating
them, hoping that the rest will equally be liberated.
“Though everyone had thought they were the Chibok girls because of the
hype surrounding the abduction of the Chibok girls, but we should not
lose sight that they are as important as the Chibok girls and those that
are still in captivity which we hope would be liberated soon.
“But at the moment, we are looking up to the time the 293 women and
girls would be handed to us so that we can begin the process of
rehabilitating and reinterpreting them back to the society,” he said.
The government’s disclosure of the identity of the rescued females
followed the growing speculation over the possible rescue of the Chibok
schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists a year ago.
Thousands of women are believed to have been kidnapped by the
insurgents in the last few years, but the kidnapping that drew the
attention of the world was that of the Chibok schoolgirls.
Also commenting on the rescue of the 293 females from the Boko Haram
enclave by the military, the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim
Shettima, in a statement by his media aide, Mallam Isa Gusau, said the
military’s operation that led to the liberation was “gratifying
regardless of whether or not the rescued women form part of the over 200
schoolgirls abducted by insurgents from Government Secondary School,
Chibok in Borno State on April 14, 2014”.
The statement added: “The lives, safety and well-being of all citizens
of Borno are of equal importance to him and as such he celebrates news
about the rescue with so much excitement in a manner he would celebrate
when the military succeeds in freeing the Chibok schoolgirls who he said
are very dear to him as they are to the entire world given the fact
that they were kidnapped under special circumstances when they were in
school and captured in large numbers.”
The governor, in the statement, said his administration would prefer
the military to remain the principal channel of information to the
public since the rescue was a product of a military operation and in
order to avoid multiple sources of information that could bring about
mix-ups.
“I was so full of excitement, gratitude to God almighty and
commendation to our gallant armed forces for this great humanitarian
feat.
“For me, the lives, safety and welfare of all citizens of Borno State
are of equal importance. These rescued women are daughters, sisters and
perhaps also mothers whose lives are important not just to their loved
ones but also to me as governor of Borno State whose mandate is to cater
for the welfare of all those living in any part of Borno State
regardless of who they are, their faith, gender, age, geopolitical
origin, and other background elements.
“They are important to us and words cannot explain how pleased we are.
We are very particular about the Chibok schoolgirls because of the
peculiar manner in which they were kidnapped and how that kidnapping has
redefined the Boko Haram insurgency.
“The Chibok schoolgirls are very dear to my heart because they were
kidnapped, while they were in school. Their kidnapping was very symbolic
because their kidnappers are opposed to Western education especially
female education.
“The entire world, especially myself, is desperate about the rescue of
the Chibok schoolgirls in order not to allow the ideology held by the
insurgents to thrive and to encourage education which is the foundation
of any human or society that seeks to develop,” he said.
Shettima, however, stressed that the rescue of the 293 women and girls
was also very dear to him, stating: “I am as pleased as much as I would
be when the Chibok schoolgirls are rescued by the special grace of God. I
am very optimistic, prayerful and supportive of the military’s ongoing
rescue and counter-insurgency operations.
“We won't give up on the Chibok schoolgirls like I said two weeks ago.
No sane parent gives up on a missing child. I have daughters and I know
the love of a parent for the girl-child.”
In another reaction, former vice-president and chieftain of All
Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar also expressed elation at
the news of the rescue of nearly 300 girls and women from the Sambisa
forest by Nigerian troops.
The former vice-president said in a statement by his media office that
it was unacceptable that hundreds of women, girls and boys had been
abducted by Boko Haram over the last couple of months.
“While we rejoice over the rescue of the women and girls, we urge that
our military continues steadfastly in the operations until all abducted
Nigerians have been rescued and territories recaptured,” Atiku said.
The Turaki Adamawa expressed his unwavering support for Nigeria’s
military forces in their ongoing mission to restore peace and the
country’s sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military said yesterday that it had transported
the women and girls rescued from Boko Haram to the hilly border town of
Gwoza, as it seeks clues to the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.
A military spokesman said the rescued girls would be transported for
final checks to Abuja or Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
“We will take them to Abuja or Maiduguri for further investigation to
determine whether Chibok girls were among them and where they come
from,” military spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, told Reuters.
While Boko Haram has snatched at least 2,000 women and girls from their
families since the start of 2014, according to Amnesty International,
the mass kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls has become a symbol of the
insurgency that has plagued Nigeria for six years.
Diplomats and intelligence officials have said they believe at least
some of the Chibok girls were being held in Boko Haram’s heavily
fortified camps in the Sambisa forest, although US reconnaissance drones
have failed to find them.
Analysts believe the captured schoolgirls may be used as human shields by the militants.
Women abducted by the group have been forced into sexual slavery or
combat, Amnesty International said on April 14 in a report to mark the
anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping.
For parents of the missing Chibok girls, news of the liberation of
hundreds of women fired hopes of seeing their daughters alive.
“Since I heard the news it’s like I'm in heaven,” said Esther Yakub,
whose daughter Dorcas was kidnapped. “I’ve never doubted the possibility
of getting her back despite the news that has been flying around about
all manner of dangers that could have befallen them.
“I'm just waiting for the moment when they hand her over into my arms.”
Boko Haram has been on the back foot since neighbouring Chad, Niger and
Cameroun joined Nigerian forces in a joint operation against the group
this year.
