People celebrating in the northern city of Kaduna

Army Rescues Chibok Girls, But Nigerians Are Cautiously Optimistic

Nigerian Army Rescue Chibok Girls, But Nigerians Are Cautiously Optimistic

Nigerian Army Rescue Chibok Girls, But Nigerians Are Cautiously Optimistic

If the feelers reaching us right now about the 219 Chibok girls abducted more than a year ago from their school in Chibok, Borno state is correct, then the nation and the whole world at large would be in a state of euphoria soon!

– Advertisement –

According to the report sent in by Chris Olukolade, the Nigeria Defence spokesman, the Nigerian Army who stormed Sambisa forest a week ago, as reported by many dailies including yours truly, apparently did not search in vain.

It is believed that the Soldiers have rescued about 200 young girls and about 93 women after combing the forest and combating the men of the Boko Haram insurgents in what he calls ‘a daring attack,’ and are at present on their way back to civilisation with the said girls.

Surprisingly, many Nigerians who spoke to Xclusive Magazine received the news of the Chibok Girls’ rescue with cautious optimism. The argued that the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, once announced that the Nigerian army had agreed truce with Boko Haram, but it turned out to be a ruse. Also, there had been three previous claims by Nigeria’s security forces that the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was dead, in 2009, 2013 and 2014, the last claim was later rubbished by Shekau as propaganda.

“I will be glad if these young girls have been rescued. But I will not celebrate yet until these girls are paraded before the media for us and the whole world to see. The Nigerian Army are a bunch of politicians,”one of them said.

A US-based Nigerian professor, Farooq Kperogi, expressed similar sentiment when he said on Facebook: “Has anyone seen the pictures of the 200 girls and 93 women reportedly rescued by the Nigerian Army? Recall that same Nigerian Army had claimed to have rescued the Chibok girls before it emerged that they had lied. I hope this rescue is real this time around.”