Two schoolgirls abducted from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014 have reportedly regained their freedom after more than 12 years in Boko Haram captivity, with one of the survivors revealing that she was forced into marriages with eight terrorists and had two children.

The development was disclosed by international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, who said the escapees included Jinkai Yama, whose return marks another breakthrough in efforts to account for the schoolgirls abducted during the insurgents’ attack on their school.

Ogebe, who facilitated the relocation of some rescued Chibok girls to the United States, disclosed the development in an email to News Express on Wednesday.

He described Yama’s escape, approximately 12 and a half years after the mass abduction, as a triumph of hope and the human spirit over terrorism and despair.

According to him, Yama disclosed that she had been married to eight Boko Haram fighters during her captivity and had two children. Another Chibok survivor, whose identity was not revealed, also reportedly escaped with children.

Ogebe said the latest escape occurred shortly after the wedding of Deborah Ishaya, another Chibok survivor whom he had supported in relocating to the United States.

Ishaya and another survivor reportedly became the first among the rescued Chibok girls to graduate from an American high school in 2017.

He said Ishaya subsequently completed her higher education, while four of the Chibok girls he helped relocate to the United States had married and obtained university degrees, with some proceeding to postgraduate studies.

Contrasting their experiences with Yama’s ordeal, Ogebe expressed concern over the circumstances in which the girls remained in captivity for more than a decade.

He said Yama reportedly identified the location of her most recent husband in Gwoza, Borno State, an area that has witnessed prolonged Boko Haram insurgency.

The lawyer questioned the security situation in the area and called on the Nigerian authorities to intensify efforts to locate and rescue other abducted girls who may still be held by insurgents.

He also expressed concern that Yama had reportedly not communicated with her family and was uncertain whether her relatives were still alive.

Ogebe urged the government to facilitate her reunion with her family, noting that she had spent years thinking about them and wanted their guidance on whether to return to school.

He said her escape also challenged suggestions that some of the abducted schoolgirls had chosen to remain with their captors.

“Jinkai’s escape also debunks spurious claims that the girls do not wish to return,” he said.

The lawyer further questioned accounts contained in the 2023 book, The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA, which reportedly claimed that the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other Western intelligence agencies had helped recover 30 Chibok girls from Sambisa Forest.

Ogebe disputed the account, citing the separate releases of 21 girls in 2016 and another 82 in 2017.

He argued that the continued escape of survivors more than a decade after the abduction underscored the need for sustained efforts to establish the whereabouts of those still missing.

He also commended the Nigerian Army for facilitating the recovery of the latest survivors and other victims of terrorism.

The abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014 triggered international outrage and the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign, drawing attention to the activities of Boko Haram and the vulnerability of schoolchildren in Nigeria’s conflict-affected North-East.

More than a decade later, the latest reported escapes have renewed concerns about the fate of the remaining abducted girls, their prolonged exposure to violence and the challenges of rehabilitation and reintegration after captivity.