We stayed without food for one month, 10 days –Chibok Girls ...don’t jeopardize release of remaining girls, Lai Mohammed warns

The 21 freed Chibok girls Sunday in Abuja said that for “one month and 10 days” of their abduction by the Boko Haram insurgents, they stayed without food in the bush.

Ms Gloria Dame, one of the rescued girls, narrated this while giving testimony on behalf of her colleagues at a thanks giving service organised for them at a DSS health facility.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, attended the service. The girl, who spoke in Hausa language, said that their survival in captivity was an act of God.

“I did not know that a day like this will come that we will be dancing and giving thanks to God among people.

“For one month and 10 days we stayed without food. I narrowly escaped bomb blast in the forest.

“We are praying to God to touch the heart of Boko Haram to repent and we are calling on Nigerians to pray and fast for the release of our remaining ones in captivity,” she said.

NAN reports that while the service was going on, the parents of the freed girls arrived the venue and were reunited with their loved ones after over two years of their abduction.

With the arrival of the parents, the environment was charged with emotion and tears of joy.

The parents took turn to address the congregation and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians for their efforts and prayers towards the rescue of their daughters.

Chairman of Chibok Local Government Council, Mr. Yaga Yarakawa, said the release of the girls was “historic” and the Chibok community at home and in the Diaspora was happy about the development. Yarakawa said contrary to views of some Nigerians, the 21 freed girls were the actual Chibok Secondary School girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

“Before their abduction, I was involved in supervising their feeding which was organised by the Borno State Secondary Schools Feeding System. So I know them very well.

“These are the real girls and you can see when their parents came, you see their joy, it manifest naturally.

“This is enough to tell you that it is a reality and anybody who say different things or doubting, may be the person has a different agenda altogether,” he said.

Yarakawa appealed to the government to put all necessary machinery in place to ensure the release of the other girls.

Speaking in same vein, Mr. Yakubu Nkaki, Chairman of Abducted Chibok Girls’ Parents Association, thanked the President for the release of the girls.

He said from the physical looks of the girls it was obvious that they were not radicalised as claimed by some people.

He also debunked the claim that many of the girls were pregnant.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed appealed to commentators and analysts to refrain from making statements that can jeopardize the release of the remaining girls who are still in captivity.

“There are many reckless analysts and commentators who are not helping the situation. We still have many of our children in captivity. Therefore we have to be careful with the kind of comments that we make.

“We must not make comments that will make the release of these girls difficult or impossible,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed, who quoted from the Scriptures (Those who are with us are more than those who are with them), said those who doubted the sincerity and commitment of the present administration to the safe release and the reunion of the abducted Chibok girls with their parents were disappointed.

“When the President said that the Boko Haram saga will not be closed until all the girls abducted have been released and reunited with their families safely, those who doubted did not believe us so we thank God this day has come,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed appealed to the parents of the girls who are yet to be freed to continue to exercise patience.

“This is the beginning and we are very optimistic that very soon another batch bigger than this will be released. I want to assure you that these negotiations are ongoing even as we speak,” he said.