Military hands over 277 rescued persons to Borno State government
The Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Maj-Gen. Shuaibu Waidi, has said that the 277 rescued Boko Haram captives have been handed over to the Borno state government for rehabilitation and integration.
According to him, the captives, comprising 128 women and 149 children, were rescued during troops’ operations in Bama, Dikwa, and Monguno Local Government Areas (LGAs).
While handing over the rescued persons yesterday (Thursday) in Maiduguri to the state government, Waidi, represented by the Deputy Theatre Commander, Maj-Gen. Kenneth Chigbu, disclosed: “The rescue and clearance operations are to retore peace and normalcy in the insurgency-affected states in the Northeast.”
He noted that the military operations, in synergy with other security agencies, are to eliminate remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in the Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad regions.
His words: “The rescued victims, comprising women and their children, had undergone profiling of their state of health before handing them to the state government.”
Chigbu also urged the remnants of Boko Haram, still hibernating in the bushes, to surrender to the military for reintegration into their respective communities in the state.
Director in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD). Aishatu Shettima thanked the Army for the rescue of people who lived in captivity for over seven years in the forest.
He said the rescued women and children would be provided with mental health services and psychosocial support at the Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre (BRC) in Maiduguri.
“The women will be trained in vocational skills so as to restore their means of livelihood in communities,” she added, adding that their children are to be enrolled in nursery and primary schools.
