Ten years after Boko Haram gunmen abducted his daughter from her school in the Nigerian town of Chibok, Yama Bullum is facing the heart-wrenching realization that he may have lost her once again. His daughter, Jinkai Yama, was among the 276 girls kidnapped from their secondary school on April 14, 2014, by the Islamist fighters.
While some of the girls managed to escape or were rescued in the following years, many remain missing. However, Ms. Yama is one of the 20 “Chibok girls” who have been rescued in the past two years from Boko Haram hideouts in Sambisa Forest in north-eastern Borno state.
But what has shocked and angered Mr. Bullum is the discovery that his daughter, along with other recently freed women, has chosen to remain married to one of the fighters who once held her captive. These couples now reside in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, in housing provided by the state governor.
The situation has sparked outrage among parents and the community in Chibok, who feel that the government is endorsing these marriages as a way to appease the former militants. Many of the girls were Christian and were forced to convert to Islam during their captivity.
Despite the controversy, the government maintains that the girls have chosen to stay with their husbands and that they were not coerced. The women, along with their children, have been moved to a secure facility where they are provided with training in various skills.
While some see the government’s support for these marriages as a way to encourage other girls still in captivity to come forward, others, including the parents of the girls, are struggling to come to terms with this new reality. The situation highlights the complex and delicate nature of the aftermath of such traumatic events and the challenges faced in the reintegration of former captives back into society.