President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that Amina Ali Nkeki, the Chibok schoolgirl who was rescued Tuesday after two years in Boko Haram’s captivity, will have the opportunity to return to school and pursue her dreams. The President said this on Thursday after meeting with the girl at the presidential villa in Abuja. Amina, who was one of 276 girls abducted by the militants in 2014, will receive the best medical, psychological and emotional care that the Nigerian Government can afford, Mr. Buhari said. He said since nothing could be done to salvage the past, the rest of her life will take a completely different course.
“The continuation of Amina’s education, so abruptly disrupted, will definitely be a priority of the federal government. Amina must be enabled to go back to school. No girl in Nigeria should be put through the brutality of forced marriage. Every girl has the right to an education and a life choice,” President Buhari said. “Although we cannot do anything to reverse the horrors of her past, the federal government can and will do everything possible to ensure that the rest of her life takes a completely different course. Amina will receive the best care that the Nigerian government can afford. “We will ensure that she gets the best medical, psychological, emotional and whatever other care she requires to make a full recovery and be reintegrated fully into society” the President said adding that he can only imagine all the girl who was taken away at 17 years had to go through at such an early stage of her life,” he said. Amina arrived at the presidential villa, veiled and escorted by her brother, mother, the the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Monguno, and the Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima.
According to her mother, who spoke at the brief ceremony in the president’s office, Amina is one of the two surviving children of the family. Her father died from the trauma of losing his daughter. The 19-year-old girl has already been examined by medical personnel from the government and nongovernmental organisations. Trauma experts from UNICEF have also met with her. Mr. Buhari said the Federal Government will assist the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, which has already been providing support to families of the missing Chibok girls and which runs a trauma and counselling centre in Kano. They will also be involved in ongoing work with Amina, monitoring her progress and highlighting any additional support she requires, he said.
He assured that his administration would continue to do all it can to rescue the remaining Chibok girls who are still in Boko Haram captivity. “Amina’s rescue gives us new hope, and offers a unique opportunity for vital information” he said. Gov. Shettima commended the president for his patience, persistence and doggedness in ensuring the restoration of peace in the north east. He said one year ago nobody could venture out of Maiduguri beyond 15 kilometres, as it was on the verge of falling into the hands of Boko Haram. He said no local government area in Borno or in Yobe or Adamawa is under the control of the insurgent group.
