Released Chibok Girl Found Four Months Pregnant

Chibok girls

•BBOG group heartbroken over Susan’s condition
•30 Boko Haram members killed in Adamawa, 10 churches razed in Borno
Daji Sani in Yola, Adebiyi Adedapo in Abuja and             Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri
 
Miss Susan Ishaya, one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls released this week by Boko Haram insurgents, has been discovered to be four months pregnant, confirming the fears of the public that the female students who were kidnapped more than five months ago are being raped and physically abused.

Chairman of the Chibok community in Abuja, Tsambido Hosea Abana, confirmed the pregnancy yesterday through a telephone interview with THISDAY, adding that the insurgents were merciless to the point of sexually violating and impregnating the innocent girl.

Susan was discovered on Wednesday morning near a police station in Mubi, Adamawa State, after she was brought there by villagers who found her near Biu in Borno State.

She had been thrown out of a moving vehicle by her captors and was left to wander for two days before she was discovered by the villagers.

Abana confirmed that the girl was among the abducted Chibok girls and had been moved from Mubi to the Adamawa State police headquarters in Yola.

He revealed that the girl was psychologically traumatised as there were signs of physical abuse on her body, adding that he believed the insurgents subjected their captives to severe sexual and physical abuse. 

“Susan is actually one of our daughters abducted from Government Secondary School in Chibok. She was found in Mubi after she was dumped by her abductors and was later taken to Yola, and it is proved that the girl is four months pregnant but psychologically and physically traumatised,” he stated.

Abana urged the authorities handling Susan’s case to expedite action by sending her to a good hospital for proper medical attention.

He also called on the federal government to step up efforts towards freeing the girls and re-uniting them with their families.

Uncertainty over Identity

However, there was a fresh twist to the discovery of Susan when Abana later informed THISDAY that the girl was psychologically unstable, adding that her true identity had not yet been determined.

Abana explained that records of the girl who initially identified herself as Susan Ishaya could not be traced, but said some Chibok parents had been detailed to the police state command in Yola to identify her.

“I don't know her actual condition since I didn't see her in person. However, I can confirm to you that she has psychological problems. She couldn’t even answer questions before breaking into tears. She has been given various names,” he said.

Abana added that she initially identified herself as Susan Ishaya, “but we couldn't trace a name like that. We have Susan Yakubu and Hana Ishaya, so we have detailed some Chibok parents to Yola to carry out proper identification”.

To verify his statement, THISDAY on checking the list of the schoolgirls, who were kidnapped from Chibok, discovered that the name Susan Ishaya was not on the list. The names close to hers were Susan Yakubu and Hanna Ishaya.

THISDAY had exclusively released the names of all the girls and their photographs in June this year.

Also, Enoch Mark, an elder from the kidnapped schoolgirls’ hometown of Chibok told AFP that the name the girl gave was not among the 219 missing.
“Her name is not on the list so we don’t know,” said Mark, who had seen the girl in Yola.

“She’s in trauma. She couldn’t speak. We picked her up in the bush. We suspected that she was one of the abducted girls. But she’s not from Chibok. The police officer made a mistake.”

When THISDAY visited the police clinic in a Yola police barracks, where Susan was being attended to, sources at the clinic confirmed that she was admitted on Wednesday night and was receiving treatment at the clinic.

But when efforts were made by our correspondent to see Susan, he was told that the girl had been taken to the police headquarters yesterday morning for further action.
Another source said because of Susan’s “fragile condition”, she might be transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yola.

“The young girl has suffered a lot and she needs proper medical attention. I believe the police will send her to FMC, Yola, or even fly her out of the country for proper medical attention,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Michael Haa, said he could not comment on the matter as the matter had been taken over by the military since the state is under a state of emergency.
However, efforts to reach the military authorities in Yola proved abortive.

BBOG Group Heartbroken

Reacting to Susan’s condition yesterday, the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group said it was heartbroken at the battered state of the young girl.

Susan’s release has brought the number of the Chibok girls still in captivity to 218.
Speaking for the group, BBOG leader and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, said they were going through a bittersweet moment at the return of Susan.

Ezekwesili, who took to twitter, called on the federal government to do the needful by rescuing the remaining 218 girls, adding that with Susan's discovery, this should give the authorities some inkling as to what the other girls are facing.

She wrote: “DAY164 of our #ChibokGirls. Such bitter sweet moment, the miracle of Susan. What a life. What a tragic turn the lives of 219 young women took.
“DAY164 of our #ChibokGirls. All we feared would happen to our daughters in the midst of evil men is manifest in the one miraculously out. GOD!

“DAY164 of our #ChibokGirls. Federal government please! Just think how eternally tragic it would be to have 219 battered lives. The longer they are there...
“DAY164 of our #ChibokGirls. We are heartbroken at what our one daughter became. I remind the federal government that we owe our 218 daughters the duty of rescue now!

“DAY164 of our #ChibokGirls. How can we not see that in saving our daughters, we save our future? Do it now! No to more days in the den of evil.”

Also responding to dissenting voices that were of the opinion that the rescue was stage-managed, she wrote: “Regardless the insults one takes for our #ChibokGirls, I will continue to steadfastly insulate advocacy for them from nauseating politics.
“Each time I do interviews nothing but determination to make our girls and their rescue is the subject that guides me. They don't care about politics.

“Often in interviews, questions on our ChibokGirls get wrapped into the politics of Nigeria. Tragic! They don't care - just want to be rescued!
“It is precisely political calculations of all sorts that cost them early rescue. On Day 164, should politics still be the issue? Saddens one.”

Ten Churches Razed in Borno

However, just as the public was beginning to think that the Nigerian military had gained the upper hand over the insurgents in the North-east, on Wednesday, 10 churches were razed, a pastor and 19 other persons were killed by members of Boko Haram in an attack on Borno communities.

Members of the sect were said to have attacked Shaffa and Shindiffu villages in Hawul Local Government Area of the state.

Fleeing residents said the insurgents killed a pastor, a teacher and 18 others.
According to members of the communities, the murdered pastor, Eliud Gwamna Mshelizza, was from the Living Faith Church, while the teacher taught at the Government Girls Secondary School, Shaffa.

According to them, those killed were mostly Christians as the communities are predominantly Christian.

It was gathered that the terrorists also razed about 10 churches including the EYN No.1, EYN No.2 and No. 3 in Shaffa and Shindiffu villages including many houses belonging to Christians.

They were also alleged to have destroyed a clinic and some staff quarters and structures at the Government Girls Secondary School, Shaffa.

The hoodlums, according to the fleeing residents, invaded Shaffa at about 8am Wednesday and wreaked havoc before moving to nearby Shindiffu yesterday morning at 11am.

Shaffa is in the southern part of Borno, about 20 kilometres from Azare, the headquarters of Hawul Local Government Council.

Some of the villages and towns attacked in the area in the last two months include Tashan Alade, Hirzhi, Pela Birni, Debiro, Kwajaffa Bura, Jubwuwhi, Dalwa, Shaffa and Shindiffu.

During most of the attacks, churches and houses belonging to Christians were picked out for destruction by the sect members.

During the latest attack, sources revealed that just as the sect members were winding up their onslaught on Shaffa, there was a deployment of troops there but they only succeeded in pursuing the already fleeing terrorists, who moved on to wreak havoc in Shindiffu hours later.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jubrin, who spoke to journalists on the phone yesterday, confirmed the attacks on the two villages.

He however explained that communication problems had limited his ability to get more details on the attacks, promising to avail journalists with more details as soon as they are available.

“Yes there was an attack on some villages of Hawul Local Government Area by suspected members of Boko Haram yesterday (Wednesday), but I am yet to get details due to lack of telecommunications services in the affected areas,” he said.

30 Insurgents Killed in Madagali

However, in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, 30 insurgents met their waterloo after a leadership tussle ensued between members of the sect.
Madagali is one of the local councils in Adamawa that was overrun by the sect and has not yet been recaptured by Nigerian troops.

A trapped resident in Madagali town yesterday disclosed that a fight broke out following a disagreement between the insurgents over whether to surrender to the authorities, as well as who should be their new Amir (leader) after the killing of one of their commanders by Nigerian troops in Bazza about a fortnight ago.

“Over 30 Boko Haram fighters were killed in Madagali town after a fight had ensued between them over a disagreement on whether to surrender their weapons. They just kept shooting themselves sporadically,” said David Chakawa, a resident.

Chakawa disclosed to journalists on the phone that there has been disquiet among members of the group with some agitating for a ceasefire.
“Already, there is a leadership crisis over who should emerge the new leader in Madagali,” Chakawa added.

For almost three weeks, Madagali, Gulak, Shuwa and Michika towns have been under the control of Boko Haram members who have been installing themselves as leaders of the communities.

Residents revealed that many of them “defaulters”, who had violated the laws of the sect had their fingers cut off, while others were given corporal punishment.
“They have been cutting off fingers, lashing offenders and marrying off spinsters,” said Bitrus Kwache, a trapped resident in Michika.