NIGERIA RESCUES 200 GIRLS FROM BOKO HARAM STRONGHOLD

Lagos, 10 Rajab 1436/29 April 2015 (MINA)- The Nigerian army said Tuesday that at least 200 girls and 93 women have been rescued from the notorious Sambisa forest, a Boko Haram stronghold.

“Troops this afternoon rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa forest,” the defense headquarters said on Twitter.

“We cannot confirm if the Chibok girls are in this group,” it added, in reference to scores of schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants from the northeastern town last year, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

According to the defense headquarters, army troops captured and destroyed three terrorist camps, including notorious Tokumbere camp, in the Sambisa forest operation.

“The freed persons are now being screened and profiled.”

On April 14 last year, Boko Haram militants stormed Chibok town and led away 276 schoolgirls.

Only 57 of them have been accounted for, leaving 219 still missing.

Nigeria’s Bring Back Our Girls movement has continued daily sit outs across major Nigerian cities to pile pressures on authorities to rescue the girls.

Boko Haram kingpin Abubakar Shekau had threatened to sell the girls to slavery or marry them off if the government does not exchange them for his fighters being held across Nigerian prisons.  (T/P010/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)