The Borno State Government Friday evening announced that 14 of the schoolgirls who were abducted at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok on Monday have regained their freedom, bringing the number of those freed to 44, while 85 are still missing.
It also emerged Friday that parents of the abducted schoolgirls and some vigilante groups who spent about nine hours on Thursday combing the notorious Sambisa Forest in search of the girls came back empty-handed.
One hundred and twenty nine girls were abducted from the school by suspected members of the terrorists Boko Haram sect. However, 14 of the students were able to escape when one of the trucks in which they were being carted away broke down; while 16 others had earlier escaped during the attack in the school.
The Borno State Government in its announcement said the 14 girls who regained their freedom yesterday “fled the camp of their abductors.”
The Borno State Commissioner for Education, Comrade Musa Inuwa Kubo in a statement claimed that three of the newly freed 14 students were with him “and the rest are still held up along the Damboa/Biu highway.”
Kubo said: “I am glad to say that 14 more students have escaped from their abductors. Out of this number, three are currently with me at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok (the scene of the unfortunate abduction) while Governor Kashim Shettima has confirmed to me today that 11 girls have escaped to a town along Damboa/Biu Road in Borno State.
“The 11 girls were immediately moved from the location to other parts of the state to reconnect with their families. The remaining 33 students in Chibok have also been moved out of the school to different parts of the state to join their families.
“With this development, we have 44 out of our 129 students at the hostel on the day of attack. This means that we have 85 students yet to join us. You may wish to recall that as at Thursday, we had 30 students returned. Out of that number, 14 escaped from their abductors while sixteen students were returned by their parents and guardians after they ran home on the day of the attack. The sixteen were not abducted. You may also remember what I said yesterday (Thursday) that we had made announcements and called on parents whose children and wards ran home to return them to the school so that we could take proper account of our 129 students to know the number of those still missing.
“We are hopefully expecting the return of our 85 students as intensive search and rescue efforts continue. I must acknowledge the combined efforts of the security agencies and civilian volunteers for the intensive search which may have piled up pressure on abductors and possibly contributing to the escape of 28 students from captivity.
“We continually pray that all our students return in good health as well as all the security agents and volunteers. We are indeed grateful for the patriotic efforts being displayed by all those involved in the search and rescue operations. We are also very grateful to all Nigerians, institutions and governments within and outside our country for their unflinching support that has remained indelible in Borno State.”
He added: “We once again call on parents and all sympathizers to remain prayerful and hopeful that by the grace of God, all the students will safely return to school. Once again, on behalf of the Borno State Government, my ministry, staff and students of the affected school, parents and relations of affected students, I appreciate the Nigerian and International media organisations for their most helpful support. I will keep updating any time there is something new which I hope will be positive and anytime soon.”
Meanwhile, parents of the abducted schoolgirls who spent about nine hours on Thursday combing the notorious Sambisa Forest in search of the girls came back empty-handed.
The parents, who said they had lost confidence in the ability of the military to rescue their children, took to the dangerous Sambisa Forest with the vigilante groups. It was gathered that those that went to the forest in the manhunt for the students were about 200.
However, the fruitless search has heightened apprehension among the parents about the whereabouts of their kids.
One, Apagu Murva, who participated in the botched search, told journalists that they did not find any of the abducted students “after combing the nooks and crannies of the Sambisa Forest with six four-wheel-drive vehicles and motorcycles from 9am-6pm.”
He said the groups which later congregated at Chibok in the evening came back with information that further heightened apprehension that it might take a little longer to get the students reunited with their family.
Murva told journalists Friday in a telephone interview that some members of the rescue team came across “what could be best described as deserted camps, made up of make-shift sheds with one or two boreholes drilled to supply water for suspected insurgents who could have occupied them.”
He said that concerned local hunters helped them to move round the forest.
Murva said further that the search had to be aborted when it was getting dark and “there was no clue as to where the students might have been held up.”
He however said the parents and the vigilante group might have to resume the search later as they are still determined that “with little more effort, perhaps they might free the students.”
He also appealed to the insurgents to please release the remaining abducted students, insisting that they are minor and have in no way added to the dispute between the government and the sect.
In a related development, there were unconfirmed reports last night that threat letters allegedly written by the Boko Haram sect had been sent to several government colleges, including those around Abuja.
Sources said the police and other security agencies have been alerted about the threat to attack the schools.
