An anonymous nine-year-old girl who was among the 65
young girls rescued by the troops from
Sambisa forest has embarked on hunger
strike, saying she wanted to go back to
Sambisa forest to meet her Boko Haram
husband. It was gathered that the girl
(name withheld) has refused to eat for the
past three days insisting that she wanted to
go back and reunite with her Boko Haram
husband in Sambisa 12 other rescued girls
were also discovered to be pregnant while
others have already given birth.
This was disclosed yesterday when
Governor
Kashim Shettima of Borno state visited the
headquarters of the 7 Division, Nigerian
Army, Maimalari Cantonment to officially
receive the Boko Haram hostages by the
General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major
General Victor Ezegwu.
Our Correspondent observed that most of
the rescued hostages comprising 27 children
and over 30 young girls with few women
including two Camerounians have been
indoctrinated by the sect as many of them
claimed they have been with the sect for
the past three years, and were willing to go
back to Sambisa to meet their husbands.
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Briefing Governor Shettima at the Youth
centre in Maimalari Cantonment, venue of
the official handing over of the hostages to
the Borno State Government, the GOC said,
the ongoing Operation crackdown in
Sambisa forest which commenced about a
week ago was recording successes as
according to him, many of the insurgents
have been killed by troops with the recovery
of chunks of arms and ammunitions at
Balaza, Walasa, Banki and other surrounding
villages.
He said during the crackdown, over 300
persons held by the insurgents in Dikwa,
Gamboru, Ngala, Kala Balge axis have been
rescued and handed over to their families in
Dikwa resettlement camp, while 300 cattle
rustled by the sect have been returned to
their real owners.
While commending Governor Shettima and
the state government for their support
towards complementing effort of the military
in the fight against insurgents, the GOC
assured that the Nigerian Army will not rest
on its oars, until Boko Haram elements are
dislodged from their hideouts.
Responding, Governor Shettima commended
the military and other security agencies for
storming the heart of Sambisa Forest,
which according to him will see to the end
of the insurgents deadly activities in the
north east. He said, as government, he will
do everything possible with the scarce
resources at his disposal to support military
in order to put an end the Boko Haram
madness in the state.
While congratulating the rescued hostages
Shettima said, the state government will
keep them in a safer place to enable them
undergo proper counselling and traumatic
training before they reunite with their
families, pointing out that the two
Cameroonians who were freed alongside
other Borno citizens will be taken back and
handed over to the Cameroonian
government.
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