TheCable

Troops of the 114 taskforce battalion of the Nigerian army say they have rescued one of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by insurgents in 2014. 

On April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok town, Borno.

Many of the girls have since been rescued while some remain in captivity.

The rescued girl, identified as Hauwa Maltha, was said to have been found on April 21.

TheCable understands that Maltha was rescued alongside her three-year-old child during an operation at Lagara village in Borno state.   

Maltha was said to have married one Salman, a cameraman to Ibrahim Shekau, the late Boko Haram leader, while in captivity. 

After the death of Salman, Maltha married one Mallam Muhammad in Gobara village and had two children with him.

Her second husband was reportedly killed in a terrorist enclave in Sambisa forest during a clash between Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).  

At the time of her rescue, Maltha was reportedly eight months pregnant.

She is undergoing medical examination alongside her baby after which she will be handed over to the state government. 

During a prayer meeting on April 14, 2023, Pauline Tallen, minister of women affairs, said the federal government is prioritising efforts to secure the release of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Tallen said 122 girls have been rescued by the government while 97 are still in captivity. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped on their own.