Rebecca Kabu, one of the 277 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 who was recently freed by security forces, was welcomed by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at her office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Rebecca was welcomed by the First Lady and the Vice President’s wife, Hajia Nana Shettima, who also vowed to take good care of Rebecca’s medical needs and make sure she is healthy enough to return to school.
Senator Tinubu thanked the National Security Adviser’s office, the National Intelligence Agency, other security agencies, and those who made Rebecca’s rescue possible while ensuring that the other Chibok girls being held captive are not forgotten.
“Our dear daughter, Rebecca, I welcome you. I’ve been praying for you all night. It is well with you. What has happened to her is very traumatic, and words cannot adequately express it,” she said.
It is challenging to get by, but while you are still alive, God has plans for you. Cases of amnesia should be handled. I appreciate everyone helping with her rehabilitation as well as the NSA and NIA offices for not giving up.
“Rebecca will be our first comeback story and returnee, she is our first fruit; she is a case I am quite interested in to see that she can go back to school at her own pace,” the narrator said.
The First Lady revealed that her non-profit organization, Renewed Hope Initiative, is actively pursuing ways for adult girls who are expelled from school to go back and receive a high-quality education.
Rebecca will be one of the first people to benefit from the President’s wife’s generosity, according to her pledge.
She believed that if the younger generation received a decent education, they would be able to integrate into society and carry on the excellent traditions that the elder generation had established.
“Earlier, I discussed situations of alternate high schools where girls like Rebecca might return and learn at their own pace because education is vital for her and others, she said, quoting the NSA representative.
For them to be able to comprehend and handle the inheritance and legacies that will be left to them, they need education as a tool for the market.
We are waiting eagerly and have not given up hope that all of our children who are still with Boko Haram will return home. I am confident that by the time she is reunited with her parents, she will be happy.
“She is in good hands with the governor waiting for her.”
In her response, Rebecca apologized to the First Lady for her limited understanding of the language but assured her that she would get better.
Rebecca, who was abducted in 2014 when she was 13 years old and is now 22 years old, was freed on July 17, 2023, according to Rear Admiral Yaminu Musa, Coordinator, Counter Terrorism Centre on the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA.
He declared that after that, the NSA’s office would investigate and offer her case alongside the 15 other rescued, rehabilitated girls for Federal Government educational assistance.
“I’m here to present one of our young people who was abducted in 2014; we are fortunate to have one of them back in our midst,” he added. Boko Haram, led by the late Shekarau, kidnapped Rebecca in 2014 from her Chibok school.
“She was rescued and returned from Cameroon on July 17. Over the past two weeks, a team of medical and psychological experts from the National Intelligence Agency and the office of NSA have conducted a thorough medical screening and physiological evaluation of her.
The next step is to give Rebecca to the governor of Borno state so she can continue on to reunite with her family in Zana. Rebecca has been confirmed to be in good health and is psychologically stable.
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