Chibok girls: It was their choice to stay with us, says FG

Minister of Women Affairs, Hajya Jummai Al Hassan, on Thursday, dispelled rumour making rounds that the recently released Chibok school girls have been kept away from the reach of their parents and guardians, adding the decision to keep them under custody of Federal Government was the girls’ and their parents’ decision.

The Minister, who made this known to newsmen in a press briefing in Abuja, added the people peddling the rumour are not the real parents of the Chibok school girls.

“Let me inform us all that I was directed by the Federal Government to ask the parents and the girls on what they want Government to do for them. That was at the initial release of the 21 girls before the release of the new 82 and their parents told us point blank that they want them to stay with us here and go back to school as well as take care of them and so we have no option than to do what they want,” the minister said.

She also added: “I tell you, their real parents have always visited them, they just left 2 Fridays ago and many will still visit them.

Yes, we restrict the kind of people that wants to visit them, we also restrict the kind of phone calls that some people want to make because we do not want anyone to remind them of their past and the kind of torture they went through in Chibok.

We want a free atmosphere devoid of nightmare for them. How I wish some of you were here to see the kind of nightmares they went through when they came in, they shout and shout and it took us time and so many rehabilitation for them to overcome and we will not tolerate any further torture on their psychology until they are certified okay which they are doing now.

“Right now, under the directive of the presidential committee on Chibok girls ably headed by the Vice President and currently the Acting President, Professor Osinbajo, we have prepared a school curriculum for them where they are in Abuja, and the essence of such is to help them get integrated back to school activities after being away from school environment.

“As we all know, the next school session will be in September and so they do not need to be idle and so the committee decided that there should be a refresher course for them having being out of school for 2 years and also wait for the next academic session to come which is in September”.

According to her, five subjects namely biology, civic education, mathematics, geography and English language with 5 qualified teachers to teach on each subjects have been arranged for them which will help them to study and be able pass their examinations when the time comes.

“We have also developed a vocational training skill for them. Some of them are being trained on hairstyles making, some on makeup artist, and some on sewing among others depending on what each of them want to learn.

“There are also indoor games for them to do during the weekend to help keep them busy and happy to be able to forget the kind of trauma they went through and we thank God that they are recovering speedily,” the minister stated.

She however added that a total of 106 Chibok girls are in Federal Government custody and currently undergoing all sort treatments and rehabilitation.