The Federal Government, on Thursday,
said some of the schoolgirls released by Boko Haram militants over the
weekend would need surgery for various ailments.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social
Development, Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, who said this at a press
conference in Abuja, stated that the girls were undergoing treatment
that would take a few weeks to complete.
No fewer than 276 schoolgirls were
abducted over three years ago, while 82 were released after negotiations
involving the Swiss Government, the International Committee of the Red
Cross and the Federal Government on one side and the terror sect on the
other.
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Twenty-one of the girls were released in October 2016, but had yet to be reunited with their parents.
The minister said results of the medical
tests so far conducted on the 82 Chibok girls, who were kidnapped from
the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014, had
shown that some of the youngsters needed to be operated upon.
She stated that the medical screening, being carried out on the girls, would be completed between two and three weeks.
“The 82 Chibok girls are currently
undergoing medical screening in Abuja. Some of them need surgery; this
should be completed in two to three weeks,” she said.
Alhassan stated that before the arrival
of the 82 girls, the Federal Government had been taking care of the 21
previously released girls and four babies.
She added that the 21 girls came back in
bad shape and spent almost two months under medical care and were
handed over to her on December 22, 2016.
The women affairs minister explained
that the parents of the 21 girls were reunited with their daughters
within one week of their return in October 2016.
“Upon return, all the 21 Chibok girls
said they wanted to go back to school, but that they didn’t want to go
to school in Chibok,” she said.
According to her, the girls travelled to
Chibok for Christmas in December 2016 as soon as they emerged from
medical care and spent two weeks there.
She said although they were scheduled to
travel to Chibok again for Easter, security situation at that time was
not conducive enough, so their parents were invited to Abuja.
Alhassan disclosed that it was the
choice of the Chibok girls and their parents to stay under the care of
the Federal Government in Abuja.
Parents have access to the fred girls
Alhassan stated that the girls were scared of going back to Chibok.
At the press conference, the minister
refuted reports that it had denied the parents of the 82 rescued girls
access to their daughters, adding that the girls were not stopped from
communicating with their parents.
According to her, those spreading such
reports are not the actual parents of the girls but rather
representatives of Chibok community, who feel they must have access to
the girls.
The minister added, “We had a meeting
with the parents of the 21 girls and the girls themselves and they all
asked the Federal Government to send them to school and take care of
them. Most of them are scared of returning to Chibok because of their
experiences.
“But to show you that parents have
access to their daughters, some parents just left the facility where the
girls were kept three weeks ago after visiting the girls. One of the
girls, who is married, is at present in Chibok, visiting the town with
her husband and his family”.
On the 82 recently released girls, the minister said their photographs had been sent to families in Chibok for identification.
She stated, “The people complaining that
they are not allowed to see the 21 Chibok girls are not their
biological parents or guardians.
“Reports that we are preventing parents from seeing them are absolutely not true. The parents visit from time to time.
“We are very careful who we grant access to the girls. We will only grant access to their parents, not community members.”
The minister restated that the
government would ensure the release of the no fewer than 113 of the
schoolgirls still with the terrorists through negotiations or exchanging
the girls with detained Boko Haram members.
She stated, “Negotiations are ongoing to
exchange the remaining girls with Boko Haram detainees, we can’t afford
to keep them any longer.
“We have no apologies or regrets whatsoever for exchanging Boko Haram detainees for our daughters. We’ll do it again if needed.”
Alhassan added that arrangements were
already being made to transport the actual parents of the girls to Abuja
once they identified their daughters among the pictures of the girls
sent to Chibok through the chairman of the community.
She stated, “The parents and the 82
girls will soon unite in a couple of days, but it will have to be well
planned. It is not going to be easy to transport all 82 parents. That is
164 persons. Transportation and security have to be provided because
the number is quite large, and you all know how sensitive Borno State is
at the moment”.
The minister stated that the 21 girls, who were released in October, 2016, had been re-united with the 82 girls.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), we took the
first set of 21 girls to visit the 82 girls at the medical facilities
where the 82 girls are being treated to reassure them that all is well,”
she said.
Osinbajo heads rehabilitation committee
Alhassan added that once the 82 girls
completed their medical treatment, they would undergo the rehabilitation
and integration processes which the 21 initially rescued girls were
undergoing.
She disclosed that the committee on the
rehabilitation and reintegration of the Chibok girls would be headed by
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
The minister also disclosed that one of
the 21 girls had asked for permission to visit her family and had been
allowed to go and expected back in two weeks.
Girls have bullet fragments in their bodies
Alhassan added that some of the girls still had bullet or blast fragments in their bodies.
The minister was quoted as saying this during an interview with CNN when the news agency visited the hostel where the 21 girls, who were rescued in October last year, live.
The report read in part, “But behind
their smiles and brightly coloured clothes lurk memories of their dark
past. One of them was absent to remove shrapnel still embedded in her
body, Alhassan said.
“CNN was told that some of them
had shrapnel wounds from their time with Boko Haram and some still have
shrapnel in their bodies that need to be removed. But no further
details were given about how many of them are being treated for this.”
“Three of the rescued girls told CNN that they were happy with their living conditions.”
One of the girls, Rebecca Mallum, said
they all took part in a structured programme that started with
breakfast, vocational training and classes that included Chemistry and
English but there’s also time to pray and unwind with games.
She said, “I really enjoy tailoring and catering. I want to be a doctor in the future because I want to help people.”
Another girl, Helen Musa, said she began
her day with a prayer along with others. After breakfast, she says she
cleans her room, goes to class and plays handball during her downtime.
She said, “I want to be a doctor. I want to help so many people who are not feeling fine. I like Biology, Chemistry.”
Agnes Gabani, 19, said she was happy at the facility and enjoyed her classes.
“I like to do Agriculture, Biology,
English, games. I want to be a doctor in future. Many people are dying
and I want to help them to survive,” she said.
The minister said there were also remedial classes to help them catch up on the years of education they missed.
Girls had nightmares –Psychologist
Among those looking after the girls at
the facility is a ‘psycho-social’ team that consists of a psychiatrist,
psychologist and social worker. There’s also a doctor on site and two
live-in matrons, one of whom is from Chibok.
The psychologist, who was not named for security reasons, told CNN that the young women had made “tremendous improvement.”
“I remember vividly when they were first
released; they had symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),
nightmares and insomnia. The girls are doing very well.
“We see each of them twice a week but we
are called upon in acute cases to address particular issues regardless
of the timetable,” he added.
24 Chibok girls to return to school in September
Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said 24 of the girls
would return to school in September.
Those going back to school include the 21 girls freed last October and three others who escaped or were rescued.
“Government is preparing the girls to go
back to school in September this year because they have lost so much
academically,” he added.
Kolade backs FG’s negotiation, faults Jonathan
Also, a former Chairman of the Subsidy
Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, Dr. Christopher Kolade,
expressed support for the approach of the Federal Government in securing
the release of the schoolgirls.
While faulting the delay in the
acknowledgement of the abduction of the girls by the government of
former President Goodluck Jonathan, the elder statesman urged government
to be proactive in security measures.
He spoke on Wednesday at a safety and
security summit organised by a church in the Anthony area of Lagos,
where he was invited as a guest speaker.
While fielding questions from
journalists, the former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United
Kingdom, said no price was too much to pay for the release of the
victims.
He said, “The first thing is that
getting those girls out of captivity is a priority. Now, the people who
have to do it will consider several options. And whatever option you are
considering, the most difficult subject is that some girls are in
captivity. If you can free them without compromising the values of
society, it’s a good thing.
“Negotiating with people that have
captured them is not what is palatable to us; but it was the only way of
getting those girls out of the place, so I support it. Because if you
had used any other means, there would have been a collateral damage and
you must know that even one life that is lost during a rescue, is one
too many.’’
Kolade said security was the duty of
everyone, adding that Nigerians must learn to stand and speak against
evil wherever they found themselves.
The convener of the summit, Pastor Niyi
Adekunle, said his church, The Helper’s House, took the initiative for
the event to improve security in the area and get residents to work
together.
The Area H Commander, ACP Dankwara
Mohammed, urged the residents to alert the police to any suspicious
movements in their neighbourhood, adding that any cop that demanded
money should be reported for sanction.
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