Nigerian-American human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has welcomed reports that two women abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from Chibok escaped captivity, describing their return as a source of hope.
In a statement shared by Ogebe, one escapee was identified as Jinkai Yama, who reportedly returned after twelve and a half years.
Ogebe said Yama had two children during captivity and was married to eight men, whom he described as terrorists.
He said the second woman, whose identity was not provided in the statement, also escaped with children.
The women’s reported escape comes more than twelve years after Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.
Ogebe commended the Nigerian Army for facilitating the women’s recovery and called for support for their reunification and recovery.
He said Yama had not spoken with her family and did not know whether they were alive.
The lawyer urged authorities to help reconnect her with relatives, saying she had identified them as a reason to return.
Ogebe questions conditions for return
Ogebe said Yama’s reported escape challenges claims that abducted women do not want to leave captivity.
He argued that her decision to return, after years away, shows the importance of providing a safe route home.
The lawyer also called on the government to help Yama reconnect with her family and support her mental health.
In his statement, Ogebe questioned why Yama’s reported captor remained in Gwoza, which he described as a Boko Haram stronghold.
He also raised concerns about residents displaced from the area and living as refugees in Cameroon.
Those questions and characterizations were made by Ogebe; the material provided does not include responses from government or military officials.
The statement did not provide independent confirmation of the escapees’ identities, family circumstances, or the details of their captivity.
Ogebe said Yama would consider her family’s guidance on whether to return to school.
Lawyer disputes reported CIA operation
Ogebe also renewed his criticism of a reported CIA operation described in Liza Mundy’s 2023 book, The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA.
As quoted in Ogebe’s statement, the book says intelligence officers working with British and French counterparts hoped to reach the abducted girls.
The passage reportedly says they recovered thirty girls, some of whom were said to be unable or unwilling to leave their children.
Ogebe disputes that account, arguing that public reports documented the release of 21 girls in 2016 and 82 in 2017.
He says he has found no evidence that thirty girls were released in a separate operation, and has previously challenged the book’s account.
The documents supplied do not independently establish whether the reported CIA operation occurred or how many girls it involved.
Ogebe said he had also raised his objections directly with the book’s author, warning that the account could imply captives chose to remain.
Ogebe highlights former students’ achievements
Ogebe connected the latest reported escape to the recent wedding of Deborah Ishaya, whom he identified as a former Chibok schoolgirl.
He said Ishaya was among girls he helped relocate to the United States and later graduated from high school there.
According to Ogebe, four women he relocated to the United States have since married and completed university degrees.
His statement also listed educational milestones he attributed to former Chibok students in the United States and Nigeria.
These included high school diplomas, university degrees, master’s degrees, and a doctorate, as well as 2026 graduates at the American University of Nigeria.
The list and claims about his role in the women’s education were provided by Ogebe and were not independently verified in the material supplied.
He said the escapees’ return underscores the need to continue searching for abducted women and supporting those who regain their freedom.
