Skip to main content

Father identifies daughter among kidnapped Chibok girls

Kidnapped girls in another video released by Boko Haram

Kidnapped girls in another video released by Boko Haram

The father of one of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped from the remote area of Chibok more than two years ago said he recognised his daughter in a video released by Boko Haram on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Bring Back Our Girls movement, set up to demand the return of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 2014, said he was “certain” of the identities of 10 other girls seen in the footage.

Kanu Yakubu, speaking to reporters in Abuja said, “When I heard her voice, I realised she is my daughter.”

He was referring to Maida Yakubu, whom he identifies as the girl seen in the video choking back her tears as she describes an air strike by the Nigerian armed forces.

The girl speaks in the Chibok dialect.

Abubakar Abdullahi, Bring Back Our Girls spokesman earlier on Sunday said at least one of the girls had been recognised by a member of the movement.

The number of girls identified from the video has now risen significantly, he said.

“We’re certain that these are the Chibok girls,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi said “We recognise up to 10 from the video,” while adding that he is waiting for confirmation from the Nigerian government and parents of the girls before releasing any more names.

The video shows a masked man holding an assault rifle and dressed in military clothing.

In the background, several girls wearing Islamic clothing look visibly distressed and dab their eyes. One is holding a small baby.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...

UK gets new prime minister Wednesday

Britain Home Secretary Theresa May to be officially unveiled as UK’s new Prime Minister on Wednesday David Cameron is to step down as Prime Minister on Wednesday after Prime Minister’s Questions. Theresa May will succeed him. An eurozone’s top official says it’s important that Britain’s next prime minister gets on with sorting out the implications of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union as soon as possible, reports Associated Press. Speaking after it became apparent that Theresa May could replace David Cameron as soon as this week, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the next British prime minister will have to “find solutions for the Brexit which has been causing a lot of problems particularly for the U.K., but also for Europe.” He said that the “sooner we can sort out this problematic situation the better.” Dijsselbloem spoke ahead of a meeting of the eurozone’s 19 finance ministers in Brussels. Though Britain’s decision to leave the EU isn’t a primary topic of discussion, the ...