According to 'THISDAY', Miss Susan Ishaya, one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls
released this week by Boko Haram insurgents, has been discovered to be four
months pregnant, confirming the fears of the public that the female students
who were kidnapped more than five months ago are being raped and physically
abused.
Chairman
of the Chibok community in Abuja, Mr. Tsambido Hosea Abana, confirmed the pregnancy
yesterday through a telephone interview with THISDAY, adding that the
insurgents were merciless to the point of sexually violating and impregnating
the innocent girl.
Susan
was discovered on Wednesday morning near a police station in Mubi, Adamawa
State, after she was brought there by villagers who found her near Biu in Borno
State. She
had been thrown out of a moving vehicle by her captors and was left to wander
for two days before she was discovered by the villagers.
Abana
confirmed that the girl was among the abducted Chibok girls and had been moved
from Mubi to the Adamawa State police headquarters in Yola. He
revealed that the girl was psychologically traumatised as there were signs of
physical abuse on her body, adding that he believed the insurgents subjected
their captives to severe sexual and physical abuse.
“Susan
is actually one of our daughters abducted from Government Secondary School in
Chibok. She was found in Mubi after she was dumped by her abductors and was
later taken to Yola, and it is proved that the girl is four months pregnant but
psychologically and physically traumatised,” he stated.
Abana
urged the authorities handling Susan’s case to expedite action by sending her
to a good hospital for proper medical attention. He also called on the
federal government to step up efforts towards freeing the girls and re-uniting
them with their families.
However, there was a fresh twist to the discovery of Susan when Abana later
informed THISDAY that the girl was psychologically unstable, adding that her
true identity had not yet been determined.
Abana
explained that records of the girl who initially identified herself as Susan
Ishaya could not be traced, but said some Chibok parents had been detailed to
the police state command in Yola to identify her.
“I
don't know her actual condition since I didn't see her in person. However, I
can confirm to you that she has psychological problems. She couldn’t even
answer questions before breaking into tears. She has been given various names,”
he said.
Abana
added that she initially identified herself as Susan Ishaya, “but we couldn't
trace a name like that. We have Susan Yakubu and Hana Ishaya, so we have
detailed some Chibok parents to Yola to carry out proper identification”.
To
verify his statement, THISDAY on checking the list of the schoolgirls, who were
kidnapped from Chibok, discovered that the name Susan Ishaya was not on the
list. The names close to hers were Susan Yakubu and Hanna Ishaya.
THISDAY
had exclusively released the names of all the girls and their photographs in
June this year.
Also, Enoch Mark, an
elder from the kidnapped schoolgirls’ hometown of Chibok told AFP that the name
the girl gave was not among the 219 missing.
“Her name is not on the list so we don’t know,” said Mark, who had seen the girl in Yola.
“Her name is not on the list so we don’t know,” said Mark, who had seen the girl in Yola.
“She’s
in trauma. She couldn’t speak. We picked her up in the bush. We suspected that
she was one of the abducted girls. But she’s not from Chibok. The police
officer made a mistake.”
When
THISDAY visited the police clinic in a Yola police barracks, where Susan was
being attended to, sources at the clinic confirmed that she was admitted on
Wednesday night and was receiving treatment at the clinic.
But when efforts were
made by our correspondent to see Susan, he was told that the girl had been
taken to the police headquarters yesterday morning for further action.
Another source said because of Susan’s “fragile condition”, she might be transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yola.
Another source said because of Susan’s “fragile condition”, she might be transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yola.
“The
young girl has suffered a lot and she needs proper medical attention. I believe
the police will send her to FMC, Yola, or even fly her out of the country for proper
medical attention,” he said.
The Police Public
Relations Officer (PPRO), Michael Haa, said he could not comment on the matter
as the matter had been taken over by the military since the state is under a
state of emergency.
However, efforts to reach the military authorities in Yola proved abortive.
However, efforts to reach the military authorities in Yola proved abortive.
Reacting to Susan’s condition yesterday, the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group
said it was heartbroken at the battered state of the young girl'.
Susan’s release has
brought the number of the Chibok girls still in captivity to 218.
BBOG leader and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, said they were going through a bittersweet moment at the return of Susan.
BBOG leader and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, said they were going through a bittersweet moment at the return of Susan.
Ezekwesili,
who took to twitter, called on the federal government to do the step up by
rescuing the remaining 218 girls, adding that with Susan's discovery, this
should give the authorities some inkling as to what the other girls are facing.
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