A missing Chibok girl has been found alive after being kidnapped two years ago in Nigeria by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram.
The girl is among 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Secondary School in Chibok in April 2014.
Some details of her rescue remain unclear.
An Army spokesman said Nigerian soldiers rescued the girl in a village near the town of Damboa.
However, the leader of a vigilante group in Chibok said his group found the girl near the Sambisa forest, where the girls were reportedly taken. It is said to be a stronghold of Boko Haram.
Vigilante Aboku Gaji said his men found her while they hid, waiting for militants to appear.
He said the girl’s mother confirmed her identity. He said the girl told him that six of the kidnapped Chibok girls had died in captivity.
He added that, “She told us that the other girls were still in the Sambrisa.”
There are conflicting reports on the girl’s name. The army identified her as Falmata Mbalala, but the vigilante leader says her name is Amina Ali.
The girl’s uncle told the Associated Press that the girl was found wandering in the forest. He said she appeared to be pregnant. He said she seemed traumatized.
Gaji said the girl had a baby with her and that she was with her husband, another Boko Haram captive, whom she married in captivity.
She was brought to Chibok on Tuesday night and reunited with her family. The girl was 17 years old when she was kidnapped.
In April, Nigeria’s Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, spoke to VOA about Boko Haram kidnappings in Nigeria. He said the country’s military would not be deterred in its efforts to rescue all civilians, including the Chibok girls, who were abducted by the Islamist terror group. The U.S. State Department has named Boko Haram as a terrorist group.
The Chibok kidnapping gained attention around the world.
It sparked protests across Nigeria, where people took to the streets, calling on the government to “bring back our girls.”
I’m Mario Ritter.
Aline Barros and Chris Stein reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English with material from AP. Kathleen Struck was the editor.
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Words in This Story
vigilante – n. a civilian who tries to act as a law enforcement official by attempting to catch and punish criminals
stronghold – n. a place where a group is able to militarily defend itself
traumatized – adj. to have suffered from severe experiences and to show physical or emotional effects of those experiences
abduct – v. to take away by force and without permission
deter – v. to prevent