On Thursday, the Nigerian Army revealed that it had handed over Lydia Simon, one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, who was rescued alongside her three children, to the Borno State government for reunification with her family.
The Theatre Commander, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, made the announcement during the ceremony held at the Mailmalari Cantonment in Maiduguri.
According to Shuaibu, the troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion had rescued Lydia, who was carrying a six-month-old pregnancy, and her children on April 17, in the Gwoza Local Government Area of the state. He added that she was number 18 among the girls who were rescued by the Nigerian military.
The abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 had caused national and international outrage, leading to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Since then, several efforts have been made by both international and national organizations to rescue all the girls and reunite them with their families.
One of the national efforts that have yielded positive results is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves. The operations have facilitated the rescue of some of the abducted Chibok girls, including Lydia Simon, who was handed over to the Borno State government on Thursday.
The reunification of Lydia Simon with her family is expected to bring some relief to her loved ones after her harrowing experience in the terrorists' captivity. Her story serves as a reminder of the plight of the other abducted Chibok girls who are still missing and the need for continuous efforts to rescue them.
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