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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.
News
FG Jails Ex-minister Mamman 75 years for N33.8bn fraud
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture of various foreign currencies that were recovered from the convict, as well as four choice property in Abuja that were traced to him.
Former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for having stole public funds totalling about ₦33.8 billion.
Mamman was sentenced on Wednesday, 13 May, 2026, by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The court, in the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, convicted and sentenced him on all 12 counts of fraud and money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Whereas he was handed seven years each on 10 counts of the charge, the court jailed him for three years and two years on counts four and five of the charge.
Justice Omotosho held that the sentence should run consecutively without the option of fine except on count four which he allowed the payment of N10 million fine.
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture of various foreign currencies that were recovered from the convict, as well as four choice property in Abuja that were traced to him.
..….Urges support for girl child
The wife of the President of Nigeria and Founder of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the “Flow with Confidence” Menstrual Hygiene Campaign Programme in Benue State, with a call for collective action towards empowering school girls through proper menstrual hygiene management and access to sanitary products.
The programme, held at the Old Banquet Hall, Government House Makurdi, was organised under the Renewed Hope Initiative with the theme, “Empowering School Girls through Menstrual Hygiene.”
In her address, delivered by the Benue State Coordinator, Office of the First Lady and Renewed Hope Initiative State Coordinator, Scholastica Ben-Sor, Senator Oluremi Tinubu said no girl should be forced to miss school because she cannot afford sanitary pads.
The First Lady described the situation where girls resort to unsafe alternatives or stay away from school during menstruation as unacceptable, especially in rural communities, stressing that the intervention was designed to restore dignity, confidence and educational continuity for young girls across the country.
She disclosed that the Renewed Hope Initiative would distribute one-year supplies of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 school girls in rural communities nationwide, with each state and the Federal Capital Territory receiving 10,000 packs for distribution through State First Ladies and RHI Coordinators.
According to her, the initiative is aimed at supporting girls who are unable to afford sanitary products, while also promoting proper reproductive health and hygiene.
Senator Tinubu revealed that the Renewed Hope Initiative expended over N2.5 billion in procuring the customised disposable sanitary pads from a local manufacturing company, Uniglory Nigeria Limited, Ikorodu, Lagos State, and appealed to corporate organisations, agencies and well-meaning Nigerians to support the programme.
She urged Local Government Chairmen and their wives to take ownership of the intervention and ensure that the sanitary pads reach deserving girls in rural communities, warning that the items must not be sold under any circumstance.
The First Lady also called on traditional, religious and community leaders to monitor the distribution process and support efforts aimed at helping girls grow into responsible and informed adults.
Addressing the beneficiaries, she encouraged the girls to remain focused on their education, support one another and never allow stigma associated with menstruation to diminish their confidence.
“I believe in you because you are the future of this nation,” she stated, as she formally flagged off the distribution of the “Flow with Confidence” Menstrual Hygiene Packs.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Hon. Scholastica Ben-Sor welcomed participants to the programme and described the Renewed Hope Initiative as a people-oriented intervention covering health, education, agriculture, social investment and economic empowerment
She urged the participants, especially the wives of Local Government Chairmen, to pay close attention to the message of the First Lady and ensure the intervention reaches vulnerable girls at the grassroots.
Hon. Ben-Sor explained that her office had resolved to sustain the initiative annually in Benue State by complementing the sanitary pad distribution programme to reach more beneficiaries, including girls in government secondary schools, Internally Displaced Persons camps and rehabilitation centres for children with special needs.
In her remarks, wife of the Benue State Deputy Governor, Christy Sam Ode, represented by Hon. Mrs Patience Erube, described menstruation as a natural part of womanhood that should never attract shame or stigma.
She encouraged the girls to carry themselves with dignity and confidence, while paying attention to lessons on menstrual hygiene and self-care.
Different lectures and goodwill messages from health professionals and wives of chairmen of local government areas in Benue State were received at the occasion.
The event also featured an interactive session during which the school girls asked questions and sought clarifications on issues relating to menstrual hygiene, and personal safety, with the keynote speakers providing detailed responses and guidance.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, has announced plans to improve healthcare services and staff welfare through the renovation of existing clinic facilities and the acquisition of a larger healthcare centre for workers of the Commission.
Prof. Amupitan made this known during the grand finale of the 2026 International Nurses Week celebration held at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking at the event themed “Our Nurses, Our Future: Empowered Nurses Save Lives,” the INEC Chairman disclosed that the decision followed reports on the poor state of the Commission’s clinic facilities.
According to him, due process for the renovation of the Kubwa Clinic has already commenced after an assessment report was submitted to management.
Prof. Amupitan also revealed that the Commission is making arrangements to acquire a bigger clinic facility in Area 10, Abuja, to further strengthen healthcare delivery for staff.
He stressed that the nature of INEC’s operations exposes employees to significant risks, making access to quality healthcare and welfare support essential for a productive workforce.
The INEC Chairman described nurses as the backbone of healthcare delivery and commended their dedication, professionalism, and compassion in caring for people across different sectors of society.
He assured nurses and staff of the Commission’s commitment to improving welfare despite existing challenges and urged medical personnel attached to INEC to continue monitoring the health of workers and management staff.
In her remarks, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, Rhoda Gumus, described nursing as a valuable profession to humanity and praised nurses for their contributions to healthcare delivery, disease prevention, and community wellbeing.
Other goodwill messages delivered at the event also highlighted the critical role nurses play in sustaining effective healthcare services.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Ndagi Alhassan, said that the theme of the 2026
celebration reflects a major policy direction aimed at strengthening the nursing profession in Nigeria.
Highlights of the ceremony included tributes to Florence Nightingale, presentation of awards to top INEC officials, and recognition of retired nurses for their meritorious service to the Commission.
FG Jails Ex-minister Mamman 75 years for N33.8bn fraud
Senator Oluremi Tinubu Flags Off Menstrual Hygiene Campaign in Benue
INEC Moves to Upgrade Staff Healthcare Facilities, Welfare
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