A girl believed to be one of the 219 Chibok
schoolgirls in Boko Haram’s custody for more than
160 days has been found abandoned TheNation
reports.
She was picked up at Kwarihi village near Biu in
Borno State after being thrown out of a moving
Volkswagen Golf car.
She wandered in the bush for two days before she
was rescued by villagers.
The Chairman of the Chibok community in Abuja,
Hosea Tsambido, recounted this story yesterday.
He spoke at the gathering of the #BringBackOurGirls
campaigners on a day Borno State Government
announced a scholarship of N1.4million each for
36 girls – among the 57 who escaped on April 15
from abductors.
According to Tsambido, the abandoned girl, who
gave her name as Susanna Ishaya, appeared
mentally unstable.
He said she had been handed over to one of the
Chibok parents who took her to the hospital after
which she would be properly questioned.
Tsambido said: “One of the girls was ferried in a
Volkswagen golf and thrown into the bush about two
days ago and she wandered into the village of
Kwarihi, near Mubi.
“From there they called one of the parents to take
care of her in Kwarihi. They are taking her to Yola.
“When she was asked, she gave her name as Susanna
Ishaya but right now we are not sure if it is her real
name until she is really treated because the people
that saw her said she is both mentally and phsycally
sick and has been taken to the hospital.
“We believe that she was probably abandoned by
Boko Haram because of her health.”
The Borno State Government yesterday granted
scholarship to 36 of the 57 Chibok school girls who
slipped away from Boko Haram abductors.
As at yesterday, 219 Chibok girls were still in the
custody of Boko Haram although there had been
covert talks to set them free.
Governor Kashim Shettima said the 36 girls have
been admitted into international schools in Abuja,
Kaduna and Plateau States.
Fifty one (51) of the girls were meant for admission
after six secured a scholarship at an international
school in Yola, Adamawa State.
The governor said the government is spending a
minimum of N1.4million annual fees on each of the
schoolgirls in their new schools besides other costs
for welfare.
The governor, who spoke at a brief farewell for the
girls at the Government House in Maiduguri ,
pleaded not to disclose the names of the schools.
He said the schools were kept under wrap in order
to shield the girls from public distraction and to
safeguard the security of the girls and the new
schools.
A Borno State statement said: “Governor Shettima
said he opted to spread the girls in different schools
so as not to make suitable, unnecessary visits that
would continue to make them subject of public focus
given the global attention on them.
“Shettima said the decision to relocate the schoolgirls
was reached after psychosocial experts,
psychologists, medical doctors, interfaith religious
experts, women from civil society organisations and
other trauma managers conducted trauma
management sessions for the schoolgirls at the
Government House in Maiduguri some months back
and certified the girls set for continued education.
“The Governor said while it was a hard decision to
send the 36 girls back to school when their
colleagues were still in captivity, the government he
said, has not given up on the girls still held. He said
no sane parent would rule out a child that is held in
captivity.
“Shettima called on the schoolgirls to be of good
behaviors, obey the rules of their new schools, put
their bitter experience behind them and focus on
their studies so as to achieve their dreams in life.
“The Governor announced that any of the
schoolgirls that obtains a minimum of five credits
will be awarded automatic scholarship throughout
her university education.” Shettima thanked the
parents of the 36 girls that released their children
for continued education noting that his government
was deeply committed to ensuring their children
were provided access to the best education money
can offer in Nigeria.
“ He said his administration has a bias for female
education which was why he introduced a female
medical education intervention programme under
which 50 female citizens drawn from the 27 local
government areas of the state currently undergo full
scholarship to study medicine abroad while more
will be sent in a continuous exercise.
“Governor Shettima appealed to members of the
media not to bring to the public, the new schools
ýthe girls would be relocated even if the media gets
to find out through investigations. He noted that
exposing their schools could expose them and the
schools due to the global interest on them.
Borno State Chairman of the Christians Association
of Nigeria, Reverend Titus Pona who is an elder in
Chibok community, praised Shettima for fulfilling
his pledge of relocating the freed schoolgirls to
international schools.
But Tsambido criticized the decision of the Borno
State government to send some of the girls to
Kaduna.
He said, “the journey from Chibok to Biu is a
journey that now takes two days because of the level
of insurgency; so sending the girls on such a journey
with only one government official and no security
protection only shows their level of carelessness.
“The girls will not be able to fully concentrate in
their new school since Kaduna itself is not spared
from insurgency.”
