Since the abduction of the 276 Chibok girls in 2014 by Boko Haram terrorists, a number of the teenagers have been able to find their way out of the captivity of the dreaded sect.
About 163 of them have been rescued, mostly through negotiations with the insurgents, which are usually coordinated by foreign organisations and international volunteer groups.
Just recently, 82 of the girls (largest number rescued at once) were released by Boko Haram in exchange with some of its commanders.
Here’s a timeline of all rescue efforts and successes till date:
April 15, 2014: On this day when the insurgent raided the Government Secondary School Chibok, some of the pupils were luckily able to jump out of the truck conveying them.
The girls were preparing to write their final examinations when the dreaded insurgency group attacked the school.
About 57 of the kidnapped girls were able to escape from the insurgents after their truck developed a fault and they were forced to stop.
Notable among them were two who granted an interview to the media, narrating their experience.
May 18, 2016: A local civilian vigilante found Amina Ali Nkeki and her four-month-old daughter near Damboa in Borno State.
Nkeki, 21, was found with a suspected Boko Haram member, Mohammed Hayatu who is the father of her child.
Hayatu was immediately arrested.
The Nigerian Army confirmed the rescue of the Amina Ali but claimed its troops found. In a statement by its spokesperson, the army also gave a completely different name, ‘Fatima Mbalala’.
Amina was reported to have revealed that six of the girls had died while others have been married off to Boko Haram commanders.
However, co-covener of the Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG) campaign, Aisha Yesufu in an interview said the Chibok girl was ‘found’ by Civilian Task Force members and not rescued by the army.
May 19, 2016: The Nigerian Army confirmed the rescue of another Chibok girl, Serah Luka, a JSS 1 student of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok.
According to the army, Luka was rescued along with 97 other women and children held captive by the Boko Haram terrorists.
May 20, 2016: The Chibok Abducted Girls Parents group while speaking to AFP said their record showed that there are two girls with the name “Luka” and that none of the missing girls come from Madagali, where the military say Serah Luka hail from.
The Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG) campaign also said Serah was abducted at her home in Madagali area of Adamawa state and not in Chibok as alleged by the military.
The army, through its spokesperson Sani Usman, however, insisted that Serah was amongst those that were abducted on the 14th of April 2014 in Government Secondary School, Chibok.
Former Minister of Education and a leading voice in the #BringBacKOurGirls campaign also questioned the identity of Serah Luka. According to her, Luka’s name was not on the list by General Sabo Presidential Task Force, which as charged with investigating the abduction.
October 13, 2016: Terrorist group, Boko Haram 21 of the 276 abducted Chibok girls. They were picked up by military helicopter from Banki area of Borno state where Boko Haram militants dropped them off.
According to the Presidency, the release of the girls was the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government.
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown commended the Federal Government for the rescue of the girls. He stated that the release of the 21 girls was a huge relief.
October 14, 2016: Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose stated that the story of the release of the 21 Chibok girls was diversionary tactics by the Federal Government.
October 16, 2016: It was a highly emotional atmosphere as the released Chibok girls met their parents for the first time in over two years.
October 19, 2016: President Muhammadu Buhari who just arrived from a trip to Germany received the girls at the Presidential villa.
November 5, 2016: Troops rescued one of the abducted Chibok girls, Maryam Ali Maiyanga.
According to the army, the girl was discovered while the troops were screening some escapees from Boko Haram terrorists’ hideout in Sambisa forest at about 6 a.m.
Maryam was reportedly found with a 10-month-old baby.
November 11, 2016: The military reiterated that the Federal Government did not pay any ransom to the Boko Haram insurgents for the release of 21 Chibok girls, contrary to reports in the media.
January 5, 2017: Another Chibok girl, Rakiya Abubakar and her six-month-old baby were rescued by troops of 27 Brigade around Alagarno area near Ajigin in Damboa LGA.
The army said she was rescued by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole who were investigating suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
May 7, 2017: 82 Chibok girls were released by Boko Haram – the highest since rescue efforts began.
The Presidency confirmed that the girls were released in exchange for the freedom of some Boko Haram commanders.
May 8, 2017: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the release of Boko Haram fighters in exchange for the girls was a violation of international principles.
May 9, 2017: A negotiator involved in the release of the 82 Chibok girls from Boko Haram revealed that some of the abducted girls refused to be freed.
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