Emotional scenes, tears, hugging, dominated the reunion of the recently released 82 kidnapped Chibok girls with their parents.
The setting was the Department of State Security (DSS) facility in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where the girls have been trying to get over the trauma of abduction and incarceration in Boko Haram’s camp.
At the reunion held on Saturday, in Abuja, fathers gripped their daughters in tight embrace, while mothers shrieked with joy, wiping away tears streaming from their eyes. In one scene, captured by the cameras, both the parents, along with one of the girls, burst out in tears of joy.
The parents came into town in a convoy from Borno State to interact with their children. Relief showed all over their faces as they awaited the nod to be admitted into the sprawling premises by security agents.
They hadn’t seen each other since 14 April 2014, when Boko Haram militants snatched 270 schoolgirls from their dormitories in northeast Nigeria.
“Everyone was dancing today, fathers crying and mothers shrieking. All of us had lost hope, we thought the girls would not be returned,” a parent disclosed.
The Chairman of the parents of the abducted school girls, Yakubu Nkeki said their joy had no bounds and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for wiping away their tears.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, disclosed at the event that a group of experts had been put together to address the girls’ psycho-social support and medical needs.
“The children are being rehabilitated and we believe that in due course they will be properly aligned with their families.
“Intensive medical attention is being administered and as soon as they are done, they will be enrolled into a remedial programme.”
Alhasan also disclosed that the 24 others who were rescued last year were undergoing psycho-social counselling and remedial programmes preparatory to their enrolment in school next academic session.
“For the 21 and three that were earlier released, I wish to inform us that their psycho-social counselling is still in progress and of course they have started remedial classes.
“They are being taught five subjects, which is designed with a view to getting them back to school come the next school session, which is in September this year.
“They will be settled in various schools and I am sure they will continue their education from there,” she said.
The Minister reassured of the Federal Government’s commitment to intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining girls in captivity and expressed appreciation to all those involved in the rescue mission.
So far, a total of 106 Chibok school girls, out of the 219 captured on the night of April 14, 2014, have been rescued.