97 Women & Children Rescued From Boko Haram; 2nd Chibok Girl Unlikely

Families dispute Nigerian army's claims of

second Chibok girl rescue

As I noted yesterday, I had serious doubts about the veracity of the army's claim to have rescued another Chibok girl. It appears my doubts were justified. Nevertheless, the important thing is not that one more Chibok girl was rescued, but that 97 women and children were rescued. Boko Haram has abducted thousands of women and children; all rescues should be celebrated.

Serah Luka was among 97 women and children freed 

after a battle with Boko Haram

By Ed Adamczyk


The Nigerian army announced the rescue of Serah Luka, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014. It came two days after Amina Ali Nkeki, pictured, was rescued. Activists and family members of the nearly 300 girls kidnapped have cast doubt that Luka was among those abducted from the school. Photo courtesy of the Nigerian army

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 20 (UPI) -- The Nigerian army said it rescued a second Nigerian schoolgirl abducted in 2014 by Boko Haram, but Chibok residents are disputing the statement.

The rescue of Serah Luka came Thursday afternoon after a clash between the military and Islamist insurgents in northeastern Nigeria, in which at least 35 Boko Haram fighters died, Nigerian Army Col. Sani Usman said. He added 97 women and children were found, including Serah.

"We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the Chibok Government [Girls] Secondary School girls that were abducted on 14 April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists. Her name is Miss Serah Luka, who is number 157 on the list of the abducted school girls. She is believed to be the daughter of Pastor Luka," Usman said in a statement.

But activists and residents in Chibok, the town where up to 276 female secondary school students were abducted on the night of April 14, 2014, noted the girl's name is not on the families' list of missing persons.

The leader of a group representing the girl's families, Yakubu Nkeki, told the BBC four priests are among the parents but none are named Luka, adding that Serah Luka is from Nigeria's Adamawa state while all the abducted girls are from Borno state.

Two days earlier the army announced the rescue of Amina Ali Nkeki, 19, one of those kidnapped. She is considered as the first rescued captive from the Chibok abduction. While some jumped from trucks on the night of the kidnapping to escape, at least 218 girls remain unaccounted for.

Amina, with her 4-month-old baby, met with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday at his presidential palace in Abuja