Amina Ali Nkeki is a Nigerian former hostage of

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (), is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group spli ...

. She was one of 276 female students the group kidnapped from Chibok in 2014. After 57 of the girls escaped in the first few months, the remaining 219 were held for several years. Of this larger group, Ali was the first freed. She was found on 17 May 2016 by

Civilian Joint Task Force The Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was founded in Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria, in 2008. It was established in response to the Boko Haram insurgency, aimed at assisting the Nigerian military in combating the group. The CJTF's primary functio ...

along with a four-month-old child and an alleged Boko Haram member, Mohammed Hayatu, who described himself as her husband. All three were severely malnourished.

Aftermath of kidnapping

Ali was taken to the house of the leader of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Chibok, Aboku Gaji. After he recognised her, the group then reunited her with her parents. Ali also stated that 6 of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls had died. She met Nigerian President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

on 19 May. In June 2016, the Bring Back Our Girls group as well as Ali's parents started demanding to know her whereabouts as they had not seen her since her meeting with Buhari. It was later discovered that she and her baby were being held in a government facility where they were to be deradicalised. In her interview with

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

in August 2016, she stated that she was not comfortable with the way she was being kept from her husband Hayatu and that she still thought about him. She also stated that she just wanted to go home. While 21 Chibok schoolgirls who were formerly held by Boko Haram were allowed to visit their families in 2016 for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, Ali and another girl, Maryam Ali Maiyanga were not, due to being reportedly deemed psychologically unfit to return home. In 2017, Ali was studying at the

American University of Nigeria The American University of Nigeria (AUN) is a private university in Yola the capital of Adamawa, Nigeria. It offers an American-style liberal arts higher education at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. AUN was founded in 2003 an ...

, with the aim of becoming an accountant.

References

2010s missing person cases 21st-century Nigerian women Boko Haram Formerly missing Nigerian people Kidnapped Nigerian children Living people Missing person cases in Nigeria Nigerian people taken hostage Nigerian terrorism victims Year of birth missing (living people) {{Nigeria-bio-stub

Aftermath of kidnapping

See also

References