Nigerian soldiers have rescued a woman who was abducted by extremists a decade ago while she was a schoolgirl in the village of Chibok, the army said Thursday. Her three children were also rescued.
Lydia Simon, who is five months pregnant, was rescued by Nigerian troops in the Gwoza council area of Borno state, where the 15-year insurgency by Islamic extremists is concentrated, according to a statement from the army. Her age wasn’t immediately released by authorities, but she is most likely in her 20s.
The statement was accompanied by a picture of Simon and her children, who appear to be between the ages of 2 and 4. She has yet to be reunited with her family.
Simon was among 276 girls seized from their school in Chibok in April 2014 at the height of the extremist violence in the region. About 82 of them are still in captivity.