EDUCATION and health authorities in Borno State are grappling with the unique case of a nine year old child bride rescued from Boko Haram who in insisting that she be allowed to return to her husband in Sambisa Forest.
Over recent months, the Nigerian military has enjoyed a lot of success dislodging Boko Haram from territory it holds and rescuing many of the captives it kidnapped. Recent, 65 girls were freed by the military and the nine-year old girl who was one of them was handed over to the authorities for rehabilitation and reunion with her family.
However, the child has insisted she wants to go back to Sambisa Forest to meet her Boko Haram husband and has refused to eat for the past three days in protest. Of the 65 girls rescued, 12 were discovered to be pregnant while others have already given birth to children while in captivity.
Yesterday, Borno State governor Kashim Shettima visited the headquarters of the Seventh Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army to officially receive the Boko Haram hostages from its commander Major General Victor Ezegwu. While he was there, he was briefed about the girl and the plight of the other children.
Most of the rescued hostages comprising 27 children and over 30 young girls with few women including two Cameroonians have been indoctrinated by the sect as many of them claimed they have been with Boko Haram for the past three years. A lot of them said they were willing to go back to Sambisa Forest to meet their husbands.
While commending Governor Shettima and the state government for their support towards complementing the efforts of the military in the fight against insurgents, General Ezegwu him that the Nigerian Army will not rest on its oars, until Boko Haram elements are dislodged from their hideouts. Responding, Governor Shettima commended the military and other security agencies for storming the heart of Sambisa Forest.
He said, as government, he will do everything possible with the scarce resources at his disposal to support the military in order to put an end the Boko Haram madness in the state. While congratulating the rescued hostages Governor Shettima said the state government will keep them in a safe place to enable them undergo proper counselling and traumatic training before they reunite with their families.
Governor Shettima pointed out that the two Cameroonians who were freed alongside other Borno citizens will be taken back and handed over to the Cameroonian government. So far, however, the authorities are yet to local the over 200 Government Girls Secondary School Chibok pupils abducted in April 2014.
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