Chibok Girls: 5 things to remember about 2014 abduction by Boko Haram

With the abduction happening five years ago today, there are a few important things to remember about it, including the names of all those yet to be reunited with their families.

The girls were abducted by the Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram faction that was at the height of its powers in 2014 [AFP] ece-auto-gen

1. Boko Haram kidnapped a total of 276 schoolgirls on the night of April 14, 2014. They were about to sit for their final secondary school leaving examination when they were taken.

The attack on the school commenced late on April 14 and lasted into the early hours of April 15. According to Naomi Adamu, one of the girls that has regained her freedom, the abduction was not planned by the terrorists.

She said they had originally invaded the school to steal its brickmaking machine and not to kidnap the students.

The terrorists reportedly only kidnapped the girls because they had no idea what to do with them after failing to secure the machine, and decided to take them to their leader, Abubakar Shekau.

Naomi Adamu was released by Boko Haram in 2017 [BBC] ece-auto-gen

In a diary she kept with four other girls in their initial days in captivity, Adamu wrote, "They started argument in their midst. So one small boy said that they should burn us all and they said, 'No let us take them with us to Sambisa.'

"Another person said, 'No let's not do that. Let's lead them...to their parent homes.' As they were in argument, then one of them said, 'No, I can't come with empty car and go back with empty car... If we take them to Shekau, he will know what to do.'"

2. While the girls were being transported to Boko Haram's operational base in Sambisa Forest, 57 of them escaped along the way by jumping off the trucks and running into the forest.

Many of them walked through the forest for days before they found their way back home to their relieved parents.

"Some girls started jumping out of the lorry. We said since others are jumping out, it will be better for them to kill us than to take us to an unknown destination. So I and the girls started running," one of the girls recalled.

President Goodluck Jonathan met with some of the girls that escaped in July 2014 [Wole Emmanuel/AFP/Getty] Pulse Nigeria

3. When the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated in 2015, he opened a channel of communication with Boko Haram and the talks yielded results a year later when the terrorist group agreed to release some of the girls.

21 Chibok girls were released to the government in October 2016, before 82 more girls were released in May 2017.

The government is believed to have paid the sum of €3 million as ransom and released five Boko Haram commanders back to the Islamic sect as part of the deal.

The government has never publicly admitted to paying ransom to the terrorists, but the military has implicitly admitted to the prisoner swap after one of the released terrorists, Shuaibu Moni, featured in a video taunting the Army.

Boko Haram commander, Shuaibu Moni, is one of the five released by the government in exchange for 103 Chibok girls [Sahara Reporters] ece-auto-gen

4. Four girls - Amina Ali Nkeki, Maryam Ali Maiyanga, Rakiya Abubakar, and Salomi Pogu - were separately found or escaped between 2016 and 2018.

Nkeki was found by a Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) patrol group in May 2016 along with her 4-month-old child, named Safiya, and an alleged Boko Haram member, Mohammed Hayatu, who described himself as her husband.

Troops of the Nigerian Army rescued Maiyanga with her 10-month-old son near Pulka in Gwoza local government area of Borno in November 2016 while Abubakar was rescued with her 6-month-old baby in January 2017.

Salomi Pogu escaped from her Boko Haram captors in 2018, almost four years after she was abducted with 275 other girls in Chibok [Today] Pulse Nigeria

The last Chibok girl to have escaped till date is Pogu who was found by troops in Gwoza in January 2018 after she escaped.

ALSO READ: 5 years after, where are the 112 Chibok girls left in Boko Haram shackles?

5. Despite the Federal Government's promises to bring back all the Chibok girls, not much has been heard about the remaining 112 girls.

Their continued stay in captivity has given rise to many theories about their fate with some of them reported, several times, to have died as far back as 2014. Many others are reported to have married their captors and opted to remain with them.

Kabu Yakubu, father to Dorcas Yakubu who's still with the terrorists, told Pulse that he still hopes for his daughter's safe return.

"We're pleading with the government up till this time to rescue those who are still alive," he said.

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group has relentlessly campaigned for the return of the Chibok girls since they were abducted by Boko Haram five years ago [BBC] Pulse Nigeria

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group that was created to advocate for the return of the girls continues to call on the government to show commitment towards securing their freedom.

"As a movement, we hold on to hope that the Chibok girls will return because we do not have any reason to do otherwise as long as they remain alive," BBOG spokesperson, Nifemi Onifade, told Pulse on Saturday, April 13.

Below is a list of the names of all the 112 girls still with Boko Haram:

1. Aisha Lawan

2. Hauwa Mutah

3. Falta Lawan

4. Hajara Isa

5. Kabu Mala

6. Maryam Abba

7. Hannatu Musa

8. Laraba John

9. Deborah Nuhu

10. Saratu Dauda

11. Aisha Grema

12. Asabe Ali

13. Margret Shettima

14. Yana Yidau

15. Hauwa Kwakwi

16. Hauwa Musa

17. Saraya Musa

18. Hauwa Joseph

19. Yana Pogu

20. Jinkai Yama

21. Eli Ibrahim

22. Rifkatu Yakubu

23. Hannatu Nuhu

24. Maryamu Abubakar

25. Hamsatu Abubakar

26. Deborah Abbas

27. Rhoda Haruna

28. Hauwa Wuleh

29. Hauwa Nkeki

30. Christiana Yusuf

31. Rakiya Kwamta

32. Rebecca Kabu

33. Halima Gambo

34. Rhoda John

35. Hassana Adamu

36. Ruth Ngiladar

37. Safiya Abdu

38. Serah Luka

39. Aishatu Musa

40. Hauwa Peter

41. Ruth Bitrus

42. Hanatu Ishaku

43. Mary Amos

44. Victoria Dauda

45. Saratu Thuji

46. Mary Dauda

47. Saratu Iliya

48. Halima Ali

49. Bilkisu Abdullahi

50. Rebecca Joel

51. Zainab Yaga

52. Awa Ali

53. Hanatu Madu

54. Sarah Samuel

55. Mary Nkeki

56. Hauwa Isuwa

57. Godiya Bitrus

58. Awa Sasa

59. Hauwa Balte

60. Glory Yaga

61. Mary Paul

62. Ladi Paul

63. Ruth Lawan

64. Laraba Mallum

65. Ruth Wavi

66. Rahila Yohanna

67. Ihyi Abdu

68. Sarah Samuel

69. Zara Ishaku

70. Rejoice Sanki

71. Deborah Abari

72. Sikta Abdu

73. Saraya Ali

74. Maryamu Lawan

75. Esther John

76. Ladi Joel

77. Lydia Emmar

78. Rose Daniel

79. Hauwa Abdu

80. Laraba Paul

81. Esther Ayuba

82. Mary Dauda

83. Margret Watsai

84. Miriam Jafaru

85. Kuma Solomon

86. Agnes Dauda

87. Mary Dama

88. Patience Jacob

89. Tabi Thomas

90. Hauwa Tella

91. Maryamu Yahaya

92. Saraya Stover

93. Jummai Aboku

94. Elizabeth Job

95. Suzana Yakubu

96. Mary Sule

97. Saratu Thauji

98. Ladi Wadai

99. Yayi Abana

100. Kwamta Kabu

101. Grace Amadu

102. Saraya Paul

103. Esther Markus

104. Rifatu Amos

105. Nguba Bura

106. Monica Enoch

107. Sarah Enoch

108. Rifkatu Galang

109. Dorcas Yakubu

110. Deborah Solomon

111. Solomi Pona

112. Saraya Amos

Names of all Chibok girls left with Boko Haram and 4 other things to remember

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