Boko Haram release 158 kidnapped women and children.

Boko Haram has released a total of 158 women and children after holding them captive for three

weeks.

The women and children were abducted by the insurgents from Katarko village, Yobe state.

They are now reunited with their families in Damaturu, the state capital, The Cable reports.

This was disclosed on Thursday, February 19, by the state commissioner for justice and chairman of the state committee on rehabilitation of victims of

insurgency, Ahmed Goniri while addressing journalists in Damaturu.

According to him, the abductees were freed three weeks
ago but were kept in the custody of security agencies so that they can undergo screening to ensure that they were indeed captives.

“ The victims were screened by security operatives to authenticate their status while government provided them with psychological therapy to ease

their trauma ,”Goniri said.

He added that one Abdurahman Dauda, a displaced person, confirmed that his wife and six daughters were among those released.

Dauda was quoted as saying: “ Two of my boys are still in their custody, but I am of high spirit that they will soon be rescued .”

One of the abductees who craved anonymity said:

“To be fair to the insurgents, they did not rape or abuse us; they simply asked those who were not

interested in their religion to leave, and they eventually released us .”

Each of the 15 widows among the victims received N50,000, two bags of rice, sugar, noodles and

wrapper from the state government.

47 other women received N30,000 each and same quantity of rice, sugar, noodles and wrapper.

The items were presented by Goniri, who commiserated with them, saying the relief materials were meant to help them to resettle.

Goniri expressed hope that the 20 boys who were still in the custody of the insurgents would be

rescued following renewed operation by the military.

Since the dreaded sect started waging war in Nigeria, they have abducted a number of people,

especially women and children. In April 2014, they had abducted over 200 girls from their school in

Chibok community, Borno state and till date, the girls are yet to be found.

Yobe state has come under several suicide bomb attack since Boko Haram insurgency began in

Nigeria. On Sunday, a female suicide bomber had killed no fewer than 16 people in a busy motor park Bayan Tasha located near a market in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state.