United States President, Donald Trump, and his daughter, Ivanka, recently met with two Chibok girls at the White House.
The two girls – Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, were part of the over 200 who were abducted by insurgent group Boko Haram in April 2014. They were among the over 50 that managed to escape in the early days of the abduction.
A photo confirming the meeting between Trump and the two girls was chosen as the White House’s ‘Photo of the Day’ for Wednesday June 28, 2017.
Local media portal, The Cable, reports that Joy and Lydia graduated from Canyonville Christian Academy in Oregon in February this year and are trying to raise funds to further their education. They are being supported by Jubilee Campaign, a human rights group in Virginia.
With the help of a Christian non-profit, others, they were able to attend boarding school in Virginia. Bishara and Pogu transferred their senior year and recently graduated from Canyonville Christian Academy.
They will be attending Southeastern University in Florida in the fall.
Several other Chibok girls remain under Boko haram captivity three years on. The insurgents have released over 100 upon negotiations with government in deals brokered by the Swiss Government and facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The most recent was the release of 82 of the girls in May this year. Preceding their release, however, 21 had been secured last year. One other girl was found on the fringes of the Sambisa forest – the known location of the group.
Under the Goodluck Jonathan era, the U.S. refused to sell fighter jets to Nigeria at the height of the Boko Haram war. They cited rights abuses by the army for its decision.
President Trump, however, has recently agreed to sell fighter jets to Africa’s most populous nation after assuring Buhari of his commitment to the fight against Boko Haram.
