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Let freed Chibok girls reunite with families, community tells govt
The Kibaku Area Development Association has asked the Borno State Government to allow the Chibok schoolgirls so far rescued from Boko Haram to reunite with their families.
The community made the demand at a press conference held at the Unity Fountain in Abuja on Sunday in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014.
On the night of April 14, 276 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, aged 16 to 18 and mostly Christians, were kidnapped by the fundamentalist group, Boko Haram.
Before the raid, the school had been closed for four weeks due to deteriorating security conditions, but the girls were in school to take final exams in Physics.
A few hours before the raid, residents in Chibok reportedly received phone calls from neighbouring villages, warning of the incoming attack, as they sighted convoys containing armed insurgents driving in the direction of the town.
The terrorists reportedly broke into the school, dressed in military camouflage and pretended to be soldiers of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The attack lasted for about five hours, during which houses in Chibok were also burnt.
The development generated both national and international outcry against the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, with an advocacy group, Bring Back Our Girls, formed to raise awareness and collaborate with the families and Chibok community to demand government action on the girls.
A decade later, the fate of 89 of the girls remains uncertain, while some of them have regained freedom.
Some of the schoolgirls had escaped immediately following the incident by jumping from the trucks in which they were being transported, and others were rescued by the Nigerian Armed Forces on various occasions.
According to the Kibaku Area Development Association, some of those rescued have been in the custody of the Borno State government and are yet to be reunited with their families.
Speaking during the Abuja press conference on Sunday, the National President of the Kibaku community (otherwise known as Chibok), Dauda Iliya, decried what he termed the second captivity of the released girls by the Borno State Government.
“We demand the urgent release of the rescued girls in the custody of the Borno State government to their families and not to anybody, nor the terrorists, the so-called repentant terrorists that were in the first place their abductors.
“The girls’ consent and that of their parents and guardians were not sought before they were abducted. As such, what is the basis to seek their consent before they are allowed to be returned to their parents? We demand that we are availed all the rescued daughters at home and in school, for any organisation or group that wants to support them.
“There should be no restrictions. Borno State does not hold any monopoly over them. What we understand today is that these girls are held a second time in captivity, this time, by the government.” he said.
The association also challenged the government at all levels to bring an end to the fiasco by ensuring the rescue of the remaining girls.
Iliya further faulted the Borno State Government for the ‘obnoxious marriages’ between the returnee girls and ‘the so-called repentant terrorists,’ while also threatening legal actions against the state government for referencing marriages between the released girls and the terrorists.
“On this occasion of the 10th-year commemoration of the abduction of our daughters, we strongly challenge governments at all levels, federal, state and local, to work towards bringing closure, one way or the other, to this fiasco. To do nothing in the past decade is completely unacceptable.
“We demand a formal rebuttal and apology to all the families and the community at large, for the illegal cohabitation, encouraged by the Borno State Government, by calling the terrorists their husbands, and the failures to do so may result in legal action against the Borno State Government and all its officials, who have used this insulting and demeaning terminology to describe a very ugly and painful situation 10 years too long, too painful to bear,” he said.
When contacted on Sunday, the Borno State Commissioner of Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, said he had spoken on the issue of Chibok girls on Saturday and was not disposed to speaking further.
In a press release on Saturday, the commissioner had said 187 of the abducted girls had been rescued and reunited with their families.
He said, “We also wish to use this occasion to take stock of the rescued girls and provide an update on how the girls are coming to terms with adjusting to normal life after captivity, and efforts of the Borno State Government to sustain the momentum on the rescue of the remaining girls.
“So far, out of the 276 abducted Chibok Girls,187 have been rescued and reunited with their families. Most of the rescued girls have, over the years, been enrolled in different schools or graduated under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs. A number of the girls have been enrolled into local and foreign scholarships or empowerment programmes. Many have since been reunited with their immediate families and are continuing to receive psychosocial support to reconcile them with normal life.
“Furthermore, 16 recently rescued girls are being rehabilitated by the Borno State Government and attending the 2nd Chance School where they learn skills in various vocations that will provide them with sustainable livelihoods, while their kids are also placed in nursery schools. Four rescued girls have voluntarily decided to return to their parents.
We remain hopeful and determined that, with the combined efforts of our security forces, intelligence agencies, and community support, all abducted persons will be safely returned.”
Parents lament
One of the parents, Mrs Rebecca Samuel, whose first daughter, Grace, is among the still-missing girls, told our correspondent that she would be happy to have her daughter back, regardless of the condition in which she was returned.
“As a mother, all I want, in whichever shape and in whichever form, is that they bring my daughter back to me. In whichever way she comes, I will welcome her, because she is my blood,” she said.
Mali dramatically advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after defeating Tunisia 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in extra time, despite playing with ten men for most of the Round of 16 clash at the Mohammed V Stadium on Saturday.
The Eagles, reduced to ten players after Woyo Coulibaly’s straight red card in the 26th minute for a lunging tackle on Hannibal Mejbri, looked destined for elimination when substitute Firas Chaouat headed Tunisia ahead in the 88th minute from Elias Saad’s cross.
However, in a frantic finish, Yassine Meriah’s handball in the box during stoppage time allowed Lassine Sinayoko to equalize from the penalty spot in the 96th minute, forcing extra time.
With no further goals in the additional 30 minutes, the match went to penalties. Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra emerged as the hero, saving shots from Elias Achouri and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane. El Bilal Touré slotted home the decisive kick after Ali Abdi skied his effort, sealing a 3-2 shootout victory.
Mali captain Yves Bissouma and Nene Dorgeles missed for the Eagles in the shootout, but Diarra’s saves proved pivotal in one of the tournament’s most thrilling encounters.
The result sets up a blockbuster West African quarter-final showdown between Mali and defending champions Senegal, who earlier dispatched Sudan 3-1 in Tangier.
Senegal, led by braces from Pape Gueye and a late strike from teenage substitute Ibrahim Mbaye, will face Mali on January 9 at the Grand Stade de Tangier.
Mali coach Eric Chelle praised his side’s resilience: “Playing with ten men for so long and coming back like that shows the character in this team. We’re ready for Senegal—it’s going to be a tough battle.
“Tunisia, who dominated possession but struggled to break down Mali’s defensive setup, exit the tournament after a frustrating campaign, having won only one group-stage match.
The 2025 AFCON, hosted in Morocco, continues with more Round of 16 fixtures on Sunday, including hosts Morocco against Tanzania. The quarter-finals promise intense matchups as the race for the title heats up.
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has firmly declared that he and his political allies will not back Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s bid for a second term in 2027, warning that such support would amount to “political suicide” for his camp.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Okrika Local Government Area on Saturday, Wike described Fubara’s emergence in 2023 as a “leadership mistake” that must not be repeated. “We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned.
The other one [Fubara] — no way. Because if we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried,” he stated emphatically.
The minister, who played a pivotal role in Fubara’s 2023 gubernatorial victory, accused the governor of poor leadership, citing his alleged inability to maintain cordial relations with local government chairmen, state assembly members, and National Assembly representatives.
“Someone who cannot relate with the local government chairmen, state assembly members and national assembly members — what kind of leadership do you want to provide?” Wike questioned.
Wike’s remarks come amid renewed hostilities following Fubara’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2025, a move seen as bolstering his second-term ambitions. The minister further alleged that Fubara breached a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu, which facilitated the lifting of emergency rule in the state and the governor’s reinstatement.
While pledging unwavering support for President Tinubu’s re-election, Wike dismissed suggestions that Fubara’s alignment with the APC would automatically secure his re-election. “Supporting Tinubu won’t save Fubara,” he said during earlier engagements in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and other local government areas.
The escalating feud has fractured ethnic and political alignments in the oil-rich state. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has endorsed Fubara for a second term, praising his people-centered policies, while the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress withdrew support from the governor, pledging loyalty to Wike.
APC national leaders have expressed backing for Fubara as a sitting governor, with the party’s National Secretary stating that no APC governor would be frustrated. However, Wike’s influence within the party’s Rivers structures remains significant, setting the stage for a fierce intra-party battle ahead of 2027.
Political observers note that the rift, rooted in control over party structures and resources, continues to dominate Rivers politics, with both sides mobilizing grassroots support.
As consultations and alignments intensify, the outcome could reshape power dynamics in the Niger Delta region.
The anticipated defection of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been postponed, with the new date set for Monday, January 12, 2026.
The move, originally scheduled for January 5—coinciding with the governor’s 63rd birthday—was delayed following a meeting between Governor Yusuf and Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja on Friday.
Reports suggest that Yusuf personally requested additional time to conduct further consultations with key stakeholders, including state legislators, National Assembly members from Kano, and other political figures who have yet to fully commit to the transition.
“The governor wants to ensure broader alignment before formalizing the defection,” one anonymous source present at the Abuja meeting told reporters.
The postponement comes amid intensifying political realignments in Kano, Nigeria’s most populous state, ahead of the 2027 general elections. Yusuf’s potential switch to the APC is seen as a major boost for the ruling party, potentially consolidating its dominance in the North and neutralizing internal rivalries, including ambitions from figures like Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.
However, the plan has deepened rifts within the NNPP and the influential Kwankwasiyya movement led by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Yusuf’s longtime political mentor. Kwankwaso has publicly rejected the defection rumors, urging supporters to pray against it and warning that it would betray the party’s mandate.
NNPP national leadership has dissolved its Kano executive committee in response to the crisis, while some party officials have labeled the move a “betrayal.” Despite this, reports indicate strong backing for Yusuf from most state assembly members, local government chairmen, and grassroots structures.
Political analysts describe the development as reflective of broader calculations, with the APC reportedly coordinating at the highest levels to welcome Yusuf. If completed, the defection would leave the NNPP without its only sitting governor, significantly weakening its national standing.
As consultations continue, Kano remains a focal point of Nigeria’s fluid political landscape.
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