A total of 158 Women and children abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from
Katarko village in Yobe have been reunited with their families in
Damaturu, Yobe.
The victims were released by the sect members after three weeks of
captivity.
Alhaji Ahmed Goniri, the state Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of
the State Committee on Rehabilitation of Victims of Insurgency, said
this while addressing newsmen in Damaturu on Thursday.
“The victims were screened by security operatives to authenticate their
status while government provided them with psychological therapy to ease
their trauma,” Goniri said.
NAN reports that the victims were released by the insurgents three weeks
ago but remained in custody of security agencies to undergo screening
to ensure that they were indeed captives.
Alhaji Abdurahman Dauda, a displaced person, said his wife and six girls
were released by the insurgents.
“Two of my boys are still in their custody but, I am of high spirit that
they will soon be rescued,” he said.
One of the victims who preferred to remain anonymous, said’ “to be fair
to the insurgents, they did not rape or abused us, they simply asked
those who were not interested in their religion to leave, and they
eventually released us”.
Meanwhile, the state government has provided N50,000, two bags of rice,
sugar, noodles and wrapper to each of the 15 widows among the victims,
while 47 other women received N30,000 each and same quantity of rice,
sugar, noodles and wrapper.
Presenting the assistance, Goniri said government commiserated with the
families of the victims and provided the relief materials to help them
to resettle.
He said 20 boys were still in custody of the insurgents and expressed
hope that the renewed operation against the insurgents would rescue them
from their captors.