Another Chibok schoolgirl is rescued nearly three years after being abducted by Boko Haram

The Nigerian army said yesterday another Chibok schoolgirl kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists almost three years ago had been rescued.

Rakiya Abubakar was one of over 200 schoolgirls abducted from the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014, army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement.

He said soldiers had “during investigation of arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists discovered… Rakiya Abubakar, with her six-month-old baby”.

He said she was a senior school student at the time of her abduction but did not specify when or where she was found.

Of the 276 girls initially seized, scores escaped in the hours after the kidnapping. There are currently 195 schoolgirls still missing. 

Chibok girls

• 276 students were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in April 2014
• Many escaped in the immediate aftermath – but about 220 were held by Boko Haram
• More than 195 of the girls are still missing

It's confirmed.
The returned #ChibokGirl is Rakiya Abubakar Gali.
#49 in our list. The 24th to return out of 219. 195 others more to come.

— #BringBackOurGirls (@BBOG_Nigeria) January 5, 2017

Abubakar is one of three other schoolgirls who have been found in the past year by Nigerian troops as they fight Boko Haram Islamists.

In October, 21 Chibok girls were released by Boko Haram after negotiations with the Nigerian government brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government.

They reportedly went home to their families at Christmas after being held at a secret location for debriefing by the Nigerian government.

Their release was hailed as a breakthrough that would lead to the recovery of remaining girls in captivity. 

The Chibok girls drew global attention to the Boko Haram insurgency engulfing the country when US First Lady Michelle Obama joined the #BringBackOurGirls online movement.

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