Chibok girls, Oby Ezekwesili and the audacity of hope

monjola sotubo

May 19, 2016 10:11 AM

19-year-old Amina Nkeki Ali, one of the abducted Chibok girls, was found on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, near Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

One of the abducted Chibok girls has been rescued.

19-year-old

The teenager was abducted by Boko Haram along with over 200 other girlson April 14, 2014, more than two years ago.

Amina is now the mother of a four month old girl and she was found in the company of her “husband”, a suspected Boko Haram member identified as Mohammed Hayatu.

“When I saw her, I recognised her because I know her. I told the military that she is one of the Chibok girls that were missing. We picked her out from among other women,” a local vigilante, identified as Apaagu said.

The leader of the vigilante group in Chibok, Aboku Gaji said:

“The moment this girl was discovered by our vigilantes, she was brought to my house. I instantly recognised her, and insisted we should take her to her parents.”

“When we arrived at the house… I asked the mother to come and identify someone. The moment she saw her, she shouted her name: ‘Amina, Amina!’ She gave her the biggest hug ever, as if they were going to roll on the ground, we had to stabilise them.

“The mother called the attention of other relations to come out and see what is happening. The girl started comforting the mother, saying: ‘Please Mum, take it easy, relax. I never thought I would ever see you again, wipe your tears. God has made it possible for us to see each other again.’” he added.

Amina’s rescue was initially announced by Bring Back Our Girls founder, Oby Ezekwesili via Twitter.

“It is OFFICIAL. OUR #ChibokGirlAminaAli of Mbalala village IS BACK!!!!!!! #218ShallBeBack because #HopeEndures," she wrote.

Mrs Ezekwesili should know a thing or two about enduring hope, because despite all the naysaying and critiquing, she held firm in her belief that the Chibok girls would return home.

Many attempts were made to silence the former education minister, to make her let go of her advocacy for the Chibok girls, but she held on tenaciously against the odds.

Ezekwesili was even detained by the State Security Service (SSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on July 21, 2014, while on her way to London to appear on BBC Hard Talk, but still she kept on, and now her efforts have paid off.

Many might say that the rescue of only one girl is not a big deal since there are more than 200 others left, but Amina’s rescue has silenced all the people who screamed that the Chibok girls did not exist and that they were only a creation of politically twisted minds.

The audacity of Mrs Ezekwesili’s hope, and the hope of others which she helped to encourage, contributed to Amina’s rescue and just might as well lead to the rescue of all the other girls who are being held by Boko Haram.

monjola sotubo