Lydia Simon, a pregnant Chibok schoolgirl, along with her three children, has been rescued by the Nigerian Army and handed over to the Borno State government for reunification with her family.
The announcement was made by Maj. Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, the Theatre Commander of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, during a handing-over ceremony at the Mailmalari Cantonment in Maiduguri.
He said, “One of such national efforts is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves, which have yielded positive results to facilitate the rescue of some of the Chibok girls.
“Starting from Esther Marcus, who appears on serial 103 on the abducted Chibok school girls’ list, who was the first to be rescued by troops of 7 Division Gar, till now efforts are still ongoing.
“Just recently on April 17, one more Chibok girl was rescued with her three children from the Mandara mountain by troops of the theatre will continue to do its best to rescue those still in captivity.
“The rescue will be in line with the strategic direction and guidance from the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.
“We thank the Chief of Army staff for all the resources he has provided in the theatre to achieve its mandate.”
According to Shuaibu, Lydia was rescued by troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion on Wednesday, April 17, in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. She was reported to be carrying a six-month-old pregnancy at the time of her rescue and was among the 18 girls rescued by the Nigerian military.
The Theatre Commander recalled the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, which garnered national and international attention, sparking the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. He highlighted ongoing efforts, both domestically and internationally, to secure the safe return and reunification of the abducted girls with their families.
Brig. Gen. Abubakar Haruna, the acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division, also spoke at the ceremony, confirming that Lydia received medical treatment and care from the division following her release.
