After two years since they were kidnapped, one of the missing 219 Chibok girls has been found near Nigeria’s Sambisa forest, an area controlled by Boko Haram militants.
One of the kidnapped Chibok girls found in Nigeria
First kidnapped Chibok girl found in a Boko Haram controlled area in Nigeria – NGO pic.twitter.com/d9BX02eD5a— africanews (@africanews) May 18, 2016
According to AFP, the information on the discovery of the girl was released by an NGO in the country.
A spokesman for the parents of the Chibok girls has confirmed the discovery to Reuters.
Lawan Zannah said the teenager named Amina Ali was found on Tuesday near the Sambisa forest which is close to the border with Cameroon.
Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima says the girl is being sent to the state capital Maiduguri. “I haven’t got any details … I learned the girl is on her way now,” he said.
The circumstances of her discovery have not yet been officially confirmed.
The BBC however reports that Amina Ali was found by a fighter of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) vigilante group, who recognised her.
The Islamist militant group Boko Haram in 2014 raided the school dormitories where the girls were sleeping at night and abducted 276 girls.
Several of the girls escaped leaving 219 in captivity.
Boko Haram’s seven-year insurgency has led to the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displaced up to 2.3 million others in northeastern Nigeria as part of their campaign to establish Sharia law in Africa’s largest economy.