The Nigerian military has rescued Ehi Abdul, one of the “Chibok girls” whose kidnapping by Boko Haram militants in 2014 generated worldwide attention. Authorities say the rescue operation late last month rescued 330 other captives and highlights the ongoing efforts to combat insurgents and rehabilitate victims in northeastern Borno state.
Ehi Abdul, a Chibok schoolgirl kidnapped along with 275 others nearly a decade ago, is finally free. She spent about 10 years in the Sambisa Forest, where she says she was forced to marry eight Boko Haram fighters and bear them two children.
Abdul and other former captives were handed over to the Borno state government on Monday after a month of health care and reintegration.
Now 27, Abdul explains how she was discovered, and suggests some of the remaining Chibok girls may not want to return.
She says, “Soldiers stopped us and asked where we were going. We told them we were visiting, and that's how we were rescued...” She says, “I haven't met some of my Chibok colleagues, while others don't want to leave...
“Now that I am out, I can continue with my Islamic education,” she adds.
Though now overrun by security forces, Boko Haram's presence in Nigeria's northeast inflicted years of terror. Girls were kidnapped, forced into marriages, and lived in constant fear.
Another woman rescued, Fatima Abdul, recounted her harrowing experience living in the Sambisa Forest.
She says, “Life there is suffocating. There’s no food, no water. Even Boko Haram fighters are suffering.
“And they beat us for no reason.” Abdul says she has four children by different men.
The Nigerian military’s continuous efforts, including this rescue, Operation Hadin Kai, aim to destroy Boko Haram's hideouts in the Sambisa Forest and restore normalcy in the northeast. Over the past two weeks, over 600 victims have been rescued.
Muhammad Abdullahi, a Nigerian Navy captain, says the military is taking care of the former captives.
"For those that are rescued, the responsibility from the military is that we carry out documentation as we call it, on receiving them; we clothe them as you can see. And of course, for the children, we also administer through our military medical team, we administer vaccination and immunization," he said.
Wahidi Shuaibu, a major general in the Nigerian military, and commandant of Operation Hadin Kai, says the country remains dedicated to rescuing those still in captivity.
"The theater will continue to do its best to rescue the remaining Chibok girls still in captivity in line with the strategic ideas of the chief of defense staff and the chief of army staff," he said.
More than a decade of Boko Haram brutality ravaged Nigeria's Northeast, leaving tens of thousands dead and many kidnapped, including the Chibok girls taken in 2014.
Although not completely eradicated, counterterrorism efforts have weakened Boko Haram and reduced attacks.
