Ten years after Boko Haram militants abducted his daughter from her school in Chibok, Nigeria, Yama Bullum feels a renewed sense of loss.
His daughter, Jinkai Yama, was among the 276 girls taken in 2014, with a portion escaping soon after, and others being rescued or released over the years. However, 91 girls remain unaccounted for, and Jinkai is among 20 “Chibok girls” recently rescued from Boko Haram’s hideouts.
Despite being freed, Jinkai, like some other women, has chosen to stay married to a former captor. This decision has left her father dismayed, especially since the marriages have been facilitated by housing arrangements in Maiduguri, provided by Borno’s Governor Babagana Umaru Zulum. This arrangement has sparked controversy among the parents of the Chibok girls, who view it as a compromise by the government in its quest for stability, despite their daughters’ conversions to Islam and marriages to their captors.
The situation reflects a broader dilemma: balancing the girls’ wishes with their parents’ desires. Governor Zulum has emphasized the importance of preventing the women from returning to Boko Haram, even as some of the girls insisted on staying with their husbands as a condition for their return to society. The government’s amnesty program for repentant Boko Haram members has seen about 160,000 people processed, with former fighters and their captives undergoing rehabilitation and reintegration, including the recent Chibok girls and their militant husbands.
This complex scenario has prompted discussions about the government’s preparedness and the need for comprehensive support plans for the girls upon their release. The continued estrangement between some of the Chibok girls and their families highlights the ongoing challenges and the profound impacts of Boko Haram’s insurgency on individual lives and Nigerian society.
