What We Saw In Sambisa Forest – Parents Of The Abducted School Girls

One of the lucky abducted students in Chibok who was later rescued and being handed over by her parents at school premises on Monday.

Parents of the abducted school girls who were threatened by the Boko Haram sect for engaging in the Sambisa search recounted their ordeals/experiences of what they saw in the dreaded Sambisa Forest while in search of their abducted daughters.

Narrating their experiences to the state governor, Kashim Shettima when he visited the school, some agrrived parents spoke;

Mallam Amos Chiroma who was among those who combed the Sambisa forest said:
 “We saw a lot of strange things in the Sambisa forest but we will not be able to disclose all for security reasons. Borno and indeed this country require prayers from all and sundry.
 

"While we were in the forest with over 200 volunteers who only had cutlasses, bows, arrows
and sticks, we came across different make-shift camps suspected to be owned by terrorists. It is however unfortunate that we had to turn back when we met one good Samaritan in the forest who advised us that it was in our own interest to go back because the area we were approaching in
the forest was a dead zone dominated by terrorists."

“If soldiers had accompanied us to the forest, we were optimistic that our missing children would have been rescued, or we would be satisfied if we can just see the dead bodies of our daughters”

Another parent, Mallam Shettima Yau Haruna, who spoke on behalf of parents of the abducted
school girls, told the governor that since the incident, they have been having sleepless nights and they summoned courage to enter the Sambisa forest. He said:
“We want to seize this opportunity to thank you for the visit and identify with us at this sorrowful moment. But the truth of the matter is that only 39 out of about 250 students have so
far been rescued contrary to official reports that 44 students were rescued out of 129 who were abducted as they were preparing to write their senior secondary school certificate examinations. We want to emphasise that we are not happy with this development. While we continue to pray for the safe return of our daughters, we therefore appeal to government and our security operatives to please intensify the search for our missing innocent children."

According to reports, it was observed that the entire structure and vehicles in the school were set ablaze as well as the council secretariat and the residence of the caretaker chairman.

Governor Shettima, while addressing parents of the abducted students sympathised
with them and promised to deploy all human and material resources towards the safe release of the missing students. He, however, called on all and sundry to continue to pray and fast for the safe return of the abducted girls as  soldiers and vigilante groups would keep hunting “around the clock” for the terrorists.

Spokesman to the governor, Isa Gusau  said that 52 students had escaped so far, after seven more girls were found safe, yesterday. Two ran to the state capital, Maiduguri, while five others found their way home. He said;
“With this development, we now have 77 girls still in the custody of their abductors,” 

 “This is the most trying moment Governor Shettima has faced in the last three years. A security (operation) has been put in place to rescue the remaining girls and this included soldiers and members of a civilian force that was formed last year to help the military fight Boko Haram."

“We are working around the clock to ensure all of them are freed unharmed,” 

Gusau’s figures were disputed, yesterday, by the school’s principal, Asabe Kwambura, who said she was working with parents to compile a complete register of those taken. She said;
“A total of 230 names” were registered by parents. So far, 43 girls have escaped. We still have 187
missing.”

Residents of Chibok who are also bothered are seriously praying for those girls to return. A resident named Haladu Sule said:




“We are appealing to Boko Haram to show mercy and release these girls,”  
“the people of Chibok will know no peace until they are freed.”

Source: Vanguard