'To have her snatched away... it was heartbreaking': Mother of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirl made pregnant by a Boko Haram militant breaks her silence and reveals she feared she would never see her daughter again

  • First of more than 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria found
  • Amina Ali was 17 when abducted and has reportedly had a baby
  • Ms Ali was found in Borno state and is back with her family
  • Boko Haram has been holding 219 schoolgirls captive since 2014

The mother of the first Chibok schoolgirl to be rescued from the clutches of Boko Haram has broken her silence to reveal she thought she would never see her again.

Binta Ali had lost hope of ever seeing Amina again, who was taken by the Islamist militants from her school in Chibok two years ago.

But it seems the possibility of starvation pushed Amina's 'husband' Mohammed Hayatu - said to be a Boko Haram fighter - to venture to the edges of the forest, where they were found by a vigilante group.

Yesterday, Binta - whose husband died just six months after Amina was snatched - was reunited with the 19-year-old, embracing her with such joy onlookers said they were certain they were going to 'roll on the ground'.

Freedom: 19-year-old Amina Ali was found with her four month old baby and a man she said is her husband two years after she was kidnapped by Boko Haram alongside 275 other schoolgirl's preparing for exams

Freedom: 19-year-old Amina Ali was found with her four month old baby and a man she said is her husband two years after she was kidnapped by Boko Haram alongside 275 other schoolgirl's preparing for exams

Amina's mother Binta revealed she didn't think she would ever see her daughter again - and expressed her gratitude to her rescuers and to God for Amina's safe return

Joy: Amina's mother Binta revealed she didn't think she would ever see her daughter again - and expressed her gratitude to her rescuers and to God for Amina's safe return

 A statement released on Binta's behalf revealed: 'She never thought she would ever see her daughter again. 

'Having seen Amina grow up and get to the age she was and Amina being snatched away from her, she (Binta) was heartbroken and devastated,' it added.

'But today Amina is back to her and she is thankful to God and thankful to everyone that participated in the rescue and recovery of her daughter.'

Amina - the youngest of 13 children, and one of only two to survive past the age of five - was rescued from the Sambisa Forest, in Borno state by vigilantes helping the military and brought back to her home in Mbalala, near Chibok, yesterday.

This was the first picture to emerge of both Amina Ali, 19, and her four-month-old baby after they were found yesterday more than two years after being abducted by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria

This was the first picture to emerge of both Amina Ali, 19, and her four-month-old baby after they were found yesterday more than two years after being abducted by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria

Hayatu - said to be a commander known as 'Amir' - told Channels Television 'hunger and ill health forced him to surrender as they were starving to death following the blocking of Boko Haram's food supply routes by the military'.

He too claimed to be a victim of kidnapping, but has been kept away from Amina and is being interrogated by military.

Meanwhile, Amina and her four-month-old daughter were then brought to Mbalala, a village 10kms from Chibok.

'She gave her mother the biggest hug ever, as if they were going to roll on the ground,' rescuer Abugu Gajji revealed.

'The girl started comforting her mother saying please mum, take it easy – relax – I never thought I'd see you again, wipe your tears. God has made it possible for us to see each other again,' he said.

Cradling her four-month-old baby lovingly in her arms, Amina Ali and her child have been pictured receiving medical attention, with the man she says is her husband - after they were found more than two years after being abducted by Boko Haram.

Today, she presented the baby to the country's leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, in Nigiera's capital Abuja - more than 500 miles from her home.

'Like all Nigerians and many others around the world, I am delighted that Amina Ali is free, but it is tinged with deep sorrow with what she had to go through,' Buhari said, reported CNN.  

He added: 'Although we cannot do anything to reverse the horrors of her past, (the) federal government will do everything possible to ensure that the rest of her life takes a completely different course.' 

The two spoke for 45 minutes in private, with Amina - who officials have said is being treated 'like a VIP' - finishing school top of the agenda.

'Continuation of her education must be a priority of government,' the President said.

‘Amina must be able go back to school. Nobody in Nigeria should be put through the brutality of forced marriage; every girl has a right to education and their choice of life.” 

The government was doing 'all it can to rescue the remaining Chibok girls,' he said, adding: 'Amina's rescue gives us new hope, and offers a unique opportunity for vital information.' 

But the decision to bring her to the capital has met with criticism from aid workers.  

'It is an outrage!' Francisca Vigaud-Walsh, women and girls' advocate at Refugees International said, saying her case should not be politicised.

'This is the time for her to be given access to clinical management of rape services and sustained psychological assistance to assist her with her trauma from both being in captivity for two years and the dramatic change she is now undergoing,' she added.

Dozens of girls managed to escape in the first hours, but 219 remained captive. Amina is the first to have been freed for two years. She was found in Simbasa forest, where Boko Haram are believed to be holding the girls

Dozens of girls managed to escape in the first hours, but 219 remained captive. Amina is the first to have been freed for two years. She was found in Simbasa forest, where Boko Haram are believed to be holding the girls

There are conflicting reports over exactly how she was found - or how she escaped, but she has  confirmed that more than 60 girls in her own detention group were still in Sambisa

There are conflicting reports over exactly how she was found - or how she escaped, but she has confirmed that more than 60 girls in her own detention group were still in Sambisa

Homecoming: She was bought to Maiduguri, the biggest town close to where she lives, in a military helicopter

Homecoming: She was bought to Maiduguri, the biggest town close to where she lives, in a military helicopter

Excitement: Today she met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, showing him her child. However, the meeting has met with criticism, as aid workers say she should be receiving medical treatment

Excitement: Today she met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, showing him her child. However, the meeting has met with criticism, as aid workers say she should be receiving medical treatment

NIGERIAN ARMY MOVING INTO BOKO HARAM'S 'LAST STRONGHOLD' 

The Nigerian army hopes to rescue the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants two years ago 'within weeks'.

The announcement that soldiers were starting to move into the Sambisa Forest, where Amina Ali was found, was made as the government came under criticism for their continuing failure to rescue the 218 girls, taken from a school in Chibok.

'We believe that in the coming weeks we shall recover the rest of the girls,' Bono State governor Kashim Shettima told reporters. 'The military is already moving into the forest.'  

The 19-year-old is seen holding the child she gave birth to in captivity after being reunited with her family in Damboa, Nigeria, following her abduction by the extremist group in 2014.

While there are conflicting reports over exactly how she was found - or how she escaped, Hassan Chibok, a member of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), today told Mail Online that Amina had confirmed that more than 60 girls in her own detention group were still in Sambisa. 

'The military has been bombarding Sambisa forest. In all the angles of the forest, you have the presence of the military.

'The insurgent holding her captive had already escaped due to persistent bombardments, so it was easy for the girl to make herself available for rescue.

'She said that the sheer number of the girls in Sambisa is such that they should easily be sighted when moving, but once the insurgents sensed the coming of a military jet, they always rushed to hide the captives. She told me that all the girls in her group had been forced to marry Boko Haram husbands.'

Later on Thursday, Amina and her mother will meet President Buhari, following a brief meeting on Wednesday with Kashim Shettima, governor of Borno State. 

Sani Usman, spokesman of the Nigeria army, confirmed that Amina was airlifted by Nigeria Air Force Super Puma aircraft from Damboa to Maiduguri alongside her baby and supposed husband, Mohammed Hayatu.

'Prior to that they were examined at Air Force medical facility and were found to be stable and normal blood pressure was observed, Usman said.

'Thereafter, she was released to the Operation Lafiya Dole headquarters for further investigation and handing over.'  

Her discovery may provide information as to the whereabouts of the other teenagers, although Amina told her mother and family doctor that some of the Chibok girls have died in captivity.

Speaking after she was found, Ayuba Alamson Chibok, a community leader in Chibok, said: 'She met her parents, who recognised their daughter before she was taken to the military base in Damboa.

'Her father's name is Ali and the girl's name is Amina. I know the family very well because I have worked with them, being a spokesman for the families of the Chibok girls.'

Yakubu Nkeki, head of the Abducted Chibok Girls Parents' group, also confirmed her name and said she was 17 when she was abducted.

He added: 'She's the daughter of my neighbour... They brought her to my house.'

Rescued: Amina Ali, then 17, has been found two years after she and 218 others were kidnapped
This picture, released by the Nigerian army, shows suspected Boko Haram member Mohammed Hayatu, who claimed to be the husband of Amina Ali

Rescued: Amina Ali (left), then 17, has been found two years after she and 218 others were kidnapped. Right: This picture, released by the Nigerian army, shows suspected Boko Haram member Mohammed Hayatu, who claimed to be the husband of Amina Ali

The teenager appeared to have given birth while in captivity while Abana said she had told family there were other kidnapped girls in the forest, but 'six were already dead'

The teenager appeared to have given birth while in captivity while Abana said she had told family there were other kidnapped girls in the forest, but 'six were already dead'

The Sambisa Forest has long been known to contain Boko Haram camps. Other abducted women rescued from the former game reserve over the last year have reported seeing some of the Chibok girls

The Sambisa Forest has long been known to contain Boko Haram camps. Other abducted women rescued from the former game reserve over the last year have reported seeing some of the Chibok girls

Amina's mother last year spoke of her daughter's fear of Boko Haram but of her enjoyment of attending school and doing well at her studies.

She told the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, a Nigerian non-profit organisation researching a book on the Chibok girls, that she was not sure of the age of Amina, the youngest of her 13 children although only three survived their early years.

'She always sewed her own clothes,' her mother said in the interview released to the Thomson Reuters Foundation by Aisha Oyebode of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation.

Hassan Chibok (pictured), a member of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), told Mail Online that Amina had confirmed that more than 60 girls in her own detention group were still in Sambisa

Hassan Chibok (pictured), a member of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), told Mail Online that Amina had confirmed that more than 60 girls in her own detention group were still in Sambisa

Binta said Amina's father died some months after his daughter was abducted.

'After Amina was kidnapped, only two (of our children) are left alive,' she said, adding her son and daughter live in Lagos.

She said she constantly thought of her lost daughter, who had always helped her around the house.

'(My son) said I should take it easy and stop crying,' she told the Foundation. 'He reminded me that I am not the only parent who lost a child.'

Tsambido Hosea Abana, a Chibok community leader in the capital, Abuja, from the BringBackOurGirls pressure group, gave an identical account of Amina's rescue.

The teenager appeared to have given birth while in captivity and said she had told family there were other kidnapped girls in the forest, but 'six were already dead.'

The Sambisa Forest has long been known to contain Boko Haram camps. Other abducted women rescued from the former game reserve over the last year have reported seeing some of the Chibok girls.

Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman confirmed the girl's rescue, although he gave a different name - Falmata Mbalala - and said she was found by troops in Baale, near Damboa.

Manaseh Allan, a Chibok youth leader, said it was not uncommon for children in the town to use different names at home and at school.

The leader of the BringBackOurGirls group in Abuja, former education minister Oby Ezekwesili, tweeted: 'It is OFFICIAL. OUR #ChibokGirlAminaAli of Mbalala village is BACK!!!!!!!

'#218ShallBeBack because #HopeEndures... Thanks #CivilianJTF and @HQNigerianArmy.'

The group has mounted daily vigils in the capital since the abduction calling for the release of the schoolgirls and hundreds of other hostages.

Boko Haram seized 276 students from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on the night of April 14, 2014. Fifty-seven managed to escape in the immediate aftermath.

The abduction sparked outrage worldwide and brought global attention to the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 people and made more than 2.6 million homeless since 2009.

Nothing had been heard from the 219 still held captive since a video published by the Islamists in May 2014, until an apparent 'proof of life' message was sent to the Nigerian government earlier this year.

Fifteen of the girls, wearing black hijabs, were seen in the video, which was purportedly shot on December 25, Christmas Day, last year.

But despite the identities of the girls being confirmed by mothers and a classmate, the government said it was cautious about raising hopes of their release.

There have been previous claims of talks with Boko Haram, whose leader Abubakar Shekau has said he would release the hostages if Islamist fighters held in Nigerian custody were released.

But the talks appear to have been with factions of the group, without the approval of the high command.

The video gave weight to theories the girls were split up after the abduction and were being held in separate locations, complicating any possible talks or a rescue bid.

The girls were taken as Boko Haram captured swathes of territory in northeastern states in 2014. But the insurgents have been pushed out by a military fight-back in the last 15 months. 

Images of the terrified captives shocked the world when the girls were abducted in April 2014

Images of the terrified captives shocked the world when the girls were abducted in April 2014

A total of 276 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram militants, fifty-seven escaped in the immediate aftermath

A total of 276 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram militants, fifty-seven escaped in the immediate aftermath

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, who has said Boko Haram is 'technically' defeated, has said success in the campaign would be measured on the return of the Chibok girls and other abductees.

The Rev. Enoch Mark, whose two daughters are among the missing, said the latest news brought renewed hope to the parents of the Chibok girls.

'I believe that, by the grace of God, our daughters, some of them, will be found if they are still alive,' he said.

The inability of Nigeria's government and military to rescue the girls led, in part, to last year's electoral defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan, who was seen as uncaring and not committed to freeing them.

The U.S., France and Britain offered help to find the girls, sending in drones, hostage negotiators, intelligence officers and others.

A social media campaign using the hashtag (hash)BringBackOurGirls reached to the White House, where first lady Michelle Obama promised her husband would do all in his power to help. 'Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to (hash)BringBackOurGirls,' she tweeted in May 2014.

 

R. Evon Idahosa, executive director of PathFinders Justice Initiative, which works on behalf of victims of child abuse, sex trafficking and rape, said the West has not done enough to help the Chibok girls.

Idahosa noted the response after the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, when government leaders marched 'in solidarity, arm-in-arm over the death of 17 people. Not to say that that is any less important than the lives of these girls, but the reality is that one Western life definitely has a different value from the value of a girl in Nigeria.'

Returning to ordinary life could be difficult for the victims, according to experts.

'Children in this situation typically require medical assistance and psycho-social support to help them cope with what they have been through while they were in captivity,' said UNICEF spokeswoman Helene Sandbu Ryeng.

'Our experience with children and women who were kidnapped by Boko Haram and freed by the military or escaped shows that they often face mistrust, stigma and rejection when they return to their communities,' she said.