Lydia Simon, a pregnant Chibok schoolgirl rescued alongside her three children by the Nigerian Army, has been handed over to the Borno State government for reunification with her family on Thursday.
BELLNEWS reports that the Theatre Commander, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, made this known during the handing-over ceremony at the Mailmalari Cantonment in Maiduguri.
He said that troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion rescued Lydia carrying a six-month-old pregnancy, alongside her three children on Wednesday, April 17, in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.
Shuaibu said the lady was number 18 among the girls rescued by the Nigerian military.
He recalled that the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 made both national and international headlines, culminating in the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
According to him, several efforts have been made both internationally and nationally to return the girls safely and reunite them with their families.
He said, “One of such national efforts is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves, which have yielded positive results to facilitate the rescue of some of the Chibok girls.
“Starting from Esther Marcus, who appears on serial 103 on the abducted Chibok school girls’ list, who was the first to be rescued by troops of 7 Division Gar, till now efforts are still ongoing.
“Just recently on April 17, one more Chibok girl was rescued with her three children from the Mandara mountain by troops of the theatre will continue to do its best to rescue those still in captivity.
“The rescue will be in line with the strategic direction and guidance from the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.
“We thank the Chief of Army staff for all the resources he has provided in the theatre to achieve its mandate.”
Also speaking at the ceremony, the acting General Officer Commanding, 7 Division, Brig. Gen. Abubakar Haruna said the girl received medical treatment and other care from the division since her release.
