Praise God for rescue of another Chibok girl

Another Chibok schoolgirl has been rescued! Lydia Simon was rescued by the Nigerian Army, in an answer to the fervent prayers of Christians in Nigeria and around the world.

Join us in thanking God for another Chibok girl regaining her freedom. Lydia Simon has recently been rescued by the Nigerian army, according to a BBC report. She is a mother of three children born in captivity, and is five-months pregnant with her fourth child.

“Nigerian Army troops deployed in the north east have continued to make significant strides in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, with the recent rescue of Lydia Simon, a Chibok girl who had been held captive by Boko Haram terrorists for several years,” said a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, as reported in the Nigerian newspaper Punch.

They continued: “Lydia, who was on serial number 68 among the missing Chibok Secondary schoolgirls, was rescued along with her three children by troops conducting Operation Desert Sanity III, around Ngoshe in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.”

Answering the prayers of Chibok parents

The army did not share further details of the rescue, but it is a wonderful answer to prayer for the Chibok parents who gathered last weekend to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the abduction by Islamic militants Boko Haram. On 14 April 2014, more than 270 schoolgirls – mostly Christian – were kidnapped from their dormitories at the federal government school in Chibok. Around 90 are still missing.

During the special anniversary service, parents told Open Doors partners that even if their daughters are freed with children, they do not care about the stigma that is often associated with women who return pregnant or have children with the Islamic militants who have held them captive.

“My hope and prayer is that the God that doesn’t fail will bring back our own children,” said Yana Gala, the parent of Rifkatu, a young woman who is still among the missing Chibok girls. She added, “Even if they have children now, no matter the condition they are in, we want them that way.”

“Prayer is our only solution”

According to reports, Lydia and her children have yet to be reunited with her family and community. When the young women are rescued or released, they often live in a military-run rehabilitation camp before they can be reunited.

Isia Malam, whose daughter Hauwa is still in captivity, also spoke to Open Doors partners, saying: “What I want the world to know is that the government should help find these girls wherever they are. I am pleading with them to pity us. Just like others were released, we too want our children to be released so I can be happy and forget my sorrows.”

The news of Lydia Simon's release is reason for thanksgiving. Please continue to pray alongside the Chibok parents and community for the release of all the young women.

“Prayer is our only solution,” shared Hanata Dauda. Her daughter Saratu was freed but now lives in the government-run rehabilitation camp in Maiduguri. “If not for prayers, we don’t know what else to do, and with that we trust that, as God released some, He will release all.”