2 victims of Nigeria’s 1st school abduction rescued 8 years later

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Two victims of Nigeria’s first school abduction by terrorists have been rescued more than eight years after the incident, an army commander said Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Waheed Shuibu said Mary Dauda and Hauwa Joseph, who are now in their 20s, were rescued after clearance operations by troops on the camps and enclave of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terror groups.

"Troops conducted an operation around the area of (the terrorists’) operations. The operation conducted actually displaced most of the terrorists in the general area and Hauwa Joseph happened to escape and was later rescued by our troops," Shuibu said.

He said Mary Dauda was also rescued after another operation on June 14.

Hauwa told Anadolu Agency that the terrorists were using them as workers in their camps.

"We washed plates, swept the camp every day, and sometimes also cooked. They often denied us food, especially if we failed to observe the prayer time," she recalled.

Both women bore children -- one each -- while in captivity.

Hauwa and Mary were among the 276 girls aged between 13 and 18 who were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Chibok on April 14, 2014.

They were 17 and 18 years old then and preparing to take their final exams when Boko Haram struck their dormitory. ​​​​​​​

The abduction drew global outrage, prompting global figures including US first lady Michelle Obama and Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai to support a #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media.