by Musa Abdullahi
The Nigerian Military on Saturday formally handed over 275 women and children rescued from the terrorists’ stronghold in Sambisa forest to officials of the National Emergency Management Agency for rehabilitation.
Speaking while handing the victims to officials of NEMA, the acting Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Yola, Adamawa State, Colonel A.B.A. Popoola, noted that the Army had no facilities to take care of the women and children rescued from Boko Haram’s camps in Sambisa forest. Popoola urged NEMA to take adequate care of these victims of terror.
NewsDiary,Tom Garba, interviewed one of the victims who simply identified herself as Lami Musa.
She was seen with a newly born baby girl, looking tired and haggard, with serious swollen legs that required a support before she could work.
While responding amidst tense tears,she said: “They adducted the whole of my family and killed my husband at Kilkasa forest while I was four months pregnant, they took us to Sambisa forest, sleep in an open field .At times we go without water and food.
“Three days ago I gave birth to this baby girl as I am talking to you I cannot ascertain the status of her health as me and her we’ve not taken our birth since I gave birth”.
Information gathered from the rescued women revealed that they endured three days of tedious and turtours journey after they were rescued before finally arriving Yola.
Responding to the Commander, the Director of Search and Rescue Operations of NEMA, Air Commodore Charles Otegbade (rtd), promised that the agency would adequately take care of the rescued Internally Displaced Persons.
Otegbade said most of the rescued persons had sustained various degrees of injuries, including fractures and dislocations. He said: “So far, 22 of the rescued IDPs had been rushed to the hospitals.”
He added that all the victims had been properly documented. He commended the Nigerian Army for having rescued a large number of abducted persons from the Boko Haram’s camps in Sambisa forest.
