20 May 2016

Second kidnapped Chibok girl found

10:37 am on 20 May 2016

A second schoolgirl kidnapped in the Nigerian town of Chibok two years ago has been found by the Nigerian army.

Army spokesman Col Usman Sani Kukasheka said more details about the operation would be provided later.

The news comes two days after the rescue of Amina Ali Nkeki and her four-month-old baby.

Amina Ali Nkeki on her way to meet the Nigerian President.

Amina Ali Nkeki on her way to meet the Nigerian president following her rescue. Photo: AFP

In all, 217 girls remain missing after their abduction by the Boko Haram Islamist group from a secondary school in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014.

In recent days, Nigerian media reported that the army had launched operations against Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest.

During the 2014 attack, gunmen arrived in Chibok late at night, raided the school dormitories and loaded 276 girls on to trucks.

Some managed to escape within hours of their kidnapping, mostly by jumping off the lorries and running off into the bushes.

A video broadcast by CNN in April this year appeared to show some of the kidnapped schoolgirls alive.

Fifteen girls in black robes were pictured. They said they were being treated well but wanted to be with their families.

The video was allegedly shot on Christmas Day 2015 and some of the girls were identified by their parents.

The Chibok schoolgirls, many of whom are Christian, had previously not been seen since May 2014, when Boko Haram released a video of about 130 of them gathered together reciting the Koran.

The abduction led to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, that was supported by US First Lady Michelle Obama and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.

Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari holds the daughter of Amina Ali Nkeki.

Amina Ali Nkeki and her baby daughter with the Nigerian president. Photo: AFP

- BBC

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