TheCable

Two of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls who escaped from Boko Haram captivity in 2014 have graduated from a high school in Washington DC, US.

This was disclosed in a press release on Friday by Emmanuel Ogebe, the international director of education must continue (EMC) initiative, a Nigerian non-governmental organisation involved in the education of many other Nigerian girls abroad.

The two girls, identified simply as Debbie and Grace, graduated on Thursday after completing junior year (11th grade) and senior year (12th grade) at a private school in the area.

They were part of the 57 girls who escaped from the sect’s captivity after 276 of them were kidnapped from their school in Borno back in April 2014.

Ogebe noted that the girls have become “the first escaped Chibok girls to graduate from an American high school with diplomas after completing and meeting academic standards.”

“Several other girls had dropped out of EMC’s school abroad project after managing to graduate from middle school (8th grade) last year and are now attempting to take the GED exam (external GCE equivalent),” he said.

“On hand to witness the historic graduation of the two Chibok girls in the class of 2017 were a delegation from Nigeria which included the founders and directors of education must continue initiative, Mr and Mrs Paul Gadzama, and the parent of one of the girls who travelled all the way from Chibok in North-east Nigeria.

“The only Chibok girl currently pursuing a degree programme in an American university, cut short her summer vacation in Nigeria to return for the graduation of her colleagues. The girls’ American host families and Mr. Ogebe and his family were among the audience who witnessed the historic graduation.

“The class of 2017 was the 50th graduation of the school which was the first high school in America to win a prestigious president’s award last year. The Chibok girls were among only 21 students who graduated as a few international students were unable to graduate.”