Parents of identified abductee grant interview to Pulse [Exclusive]

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August 16, 2016 1:25 PM

In an exclusive video obtained by Pulse, Kanu Yakubu, Maida's father, says he recognized the girl as his daughter as soon as he saw her face.

Meida Yakubu's parents

After being identified in

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In an exclusive video obtained by Pulse, Kanu Yakubu, father of Maida, one of the abducted chibok girls, says he recognized the girl as his daughter as soon as he saw her face.

He goes on to express his happiness that his daughter is still alive. “[I feel] very happy because I didn’t know I would ever see her again. I’m very happy because I saw her in the video.”

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“I give God all the glory,” begins Maida’s mother, who can be seen in the clip, apparently wipingtears from her face.

“I give him all the honour. For the rumours people have been saying, that the girls are not even alive.

“…I think today will be one of the happiest days of my life.” She concludes in a shaky voice, obviously overcome by emotion.”

She says that seeing her daughter only confirmed what she had believed all along; that her daughter has been hale and alive.

She then states that she is convinced that the God she serves will bring back her daughter to her.

“By the grace of the Lord Almighty, if he is on that throne, he will bring her back,” she says.

Boko Haram fighters in the video called on the government to release their fighters in exchange for the girls who were kidnapped in April 2014.

Asking for more effort to be put in the search for the girls, Maida's mother says that the government needs to concede, and give the abductors whatever they want so as to ensure the freedom of the kidnapped girls.

Reports say that 10 of the girls in the video were identified as part of the Chibok girls kidnapped in Borno State about two years ago, which has now prompted renewed calls for the government to increase efforts to bring the girls back to their frustrated parents.

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