Joy, relief as rescued Chibok schoolgirl delivers baby boy in Borno

The Nigerian Army on Thursday presented two additional Chibok schoolgirls rescued from the captivity of the Boko Haram/ ISWAP terrorists in Sambisa forest.

This brings to fourteen the number of recently rescued girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, nine years after their abduction by Boko Haram in 2014.

Briefing newsmen at the Command and Control Centre of Operation Hadin Kai in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, disclosed that one of the girls, who was about 8 months and 2 weeks pregnant during the time of her rescue delivered a bouncing baby boy on 28 April 2023 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima at 7 Division Medical Hospital and Services.

Ali said that Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus, both serial numbers two and 103 in the list of the missing victims, were rescued on April 21, 2023, by troops of 114 Taskforce Battalion Bitta at Lagara, under the 21 armoured Brigade Bama during Operations.

He said that Hauwa Maltha, 26 year old, and Kibaku by tribe from Jila in Chibok local Government of Borno state, and her 3-year-old baby were rescued.

He explained that while in captivity, Hauwa got married at Gulukos, a village in Sambisa forest, to one Salman, a cameraman to Abubakar Shekau.

“Salman later died in Lake Chad. Thereafter, Hauwa Maltha got married to one Mallam Muhammad in Gobara and had 2 children for him who later died due to sickness. Muhammad, her second husband, was also killed in Ukuba terrorist enclaves in Sambisa forest during clashes between Boko Haram/ISWAP,” he said.

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“Hauwa who was about 8 months and 2 weeks pregnant during the time of her rescue delivered a bouncing baby boy on 28 April 2023 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima at 7 Div Medical Hospital and Services,”he said.

Ali explained that while in captivity, 26-year-old Esther was forcefully married to one Garba, also known as Garus, a Boko Haram fighter who was killed during troops offensive operations on terrorists’ enclaves.

“She was later married off to another insurgents, Abba, in Ukuba terrorist enclaves in Sambisa forest until her rescue by troops of Operation Hadin Kai.

“Since their rescue, they have undergone thorough medical examination along with their babies and are adequately resuscitated and will be handed over to the Borno State Government for further administration.