The Federal Government on Friday said it has allowed 106 Chibok girls to travel to Chibok, Borno State, to spend one week with their families.
The girls had been under the care of the government since their release by Boko Haram insurgents.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Jummai Alhassan, during a press briefing said making the girls recount their experiences, could create a setback to the process of their emotional recovery.
The minister said the girls had been able to overcome most of the challenges that they were having such as flashbacks, insomnia and nightmares.
She said, “The girls have been provided psycho-social support services to help erase unpleasant memories and override their traumatic experiences. So far, they are now stabilised and most of their traumatic stress disorder symptoms have been overcome and previous frequent incidents of flashbacks, insomnia and nightmares have now been successfully brought under control.
“Through rigorous and extensive time with social workers, counsellors and psychologists, the girls are now looking forward to a bright and promising future.
“I will like to appeal to the press and the general public to avoid making requests for these girls to recount their stories and experiences while in captivity so as not to reopen old wounds and trigger a relapse in their journey to recovery.
“The girls are not kept in isolation, they are going to the university, they are not going to be kept in isolation and to answer your question, the girls will never come back to Abuja again. As for these 106 girls, when school closes, they would go back to their homes.
“So, they are not kept in isolation, and they will return to their homes and that is why we said that they are now ready for full integration into the society. From school, they are going back home on holidays just like any other child.”
