Advertisement

82 rescued Chibok girls reunite with parents

Sunday May 21 2017
ChibokEA

A mother and a daughter rescued from Nigerian terror group Boko Haram in an emotional embrace during a re-union in Abuja on May 20, 2017. MOHAMMED MOMOH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The recently-rescued 82 Nigerian Chibok schoolgirls have been reunited with their parents.

The re-union took place on Saturday night in Abuja in an emotion-laden occasion.

Fathers gripped their daughters in tight embrace, while mothers shrieked with joy, wiping away tears streaming from their eyes.

Parents and the girls had not seen each other since April 14, 2014, when the Boko Haram militants abducted 219 schoolgirls from their dormitories in northeast Nigeria.

Remedial programme

The Information and Culture Chief Press Secretary, Mr Joe Mutah, on behalf of the minister Lai Mohammed, said “the children are being rehabilitated and we believe that in due course, they will be properly aligned with their families.

Advertisement

“Intensive medical attention is being administered and as soon as they are done, they will be enrolled into a remedial programme’’.

He said the 21 others who were rescued last year were undergoing psycho-social counselling and remedial programmes to their enrolment in school next academic session.

“For the 21 and three that were earlier released, I wish to inform us that their psycho-social counselling is still in progress and of course they have started remedial classes.

The abducted

“They are being taught five subjects, which is designed with a view to getting them back to school come the next school session, which is in September this year," said Mutah.

The minister reassured of the Federal Government’s commitment to intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining girls and expressed appreciation to all those involved in the rescue mission.

The chairman of the parents of the abducted schoolgirls, Mr Yakubu Nkeki, said their joy had no bounds and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for wiping away their tears.

So far, a total of 106 Chibok schoolgirls have been rescued.

Advertisement