After nearly seven years, several of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram are believed to have escaped. The girls have not returned home as of yet, but are reportedly under the protection of the Nigerian army. A father of one girls, Halima Ali Maiyanga, told CNN that he was able to speak with his daughter briefly about her escape.
"She asked me. Is this my daddy? Is this my daddy, and she started crying. The crying was [so] much and I couldn't hear her very well. I was crying too. I never expected to hear from her again," he said.
"The whole family is so happy. Our house is full of people who are rejoicing with us."
His daughter is one of nearly 100 girls believed to still be missing after Boko Haram overtook a boarding school in 2014. Initially, 276 girls were abducted by the group, but progress has been made in rescuing the girls over the last few years. At first, a number of girls were able to escape during the chaos of that ensued. In 2016, the group released 21 girls. One year later, the Nigerian government was able to negotiate the release of 82 more girls. As of now, 112 girls are believed to still be missing. It is currently unclear how many of those 112 girls were able to reach the security of the Nigerian armed forces.
"We were told they are currently with the security operatives. We are yet to know the numbers, but we are happy that some of them escaped," one of the girl's parents, Malam Madu Mutta, said.
"So many other parents and relatives are coming from Chibok with hopes of meeting their daughters. Again, hope is risen that we can have some of them back again."
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