“Released Chibok Girls Need Psychological Rehabilitation" – Pope Francis

Pope Francis 1, leader of the Catholic Church worldwide, has said the 21 Chibok girls released from Sambisa forest need psychological evaluation conducted by experts.

Pope Francis who made this statement through his representative, President of Pontifical Mission Societies (Nigeria), Rev. Fr. George Ajana, during this year’s World Mission Sunday, at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Area 3, Abuja, said;

 “The release of the 21 Chibok girls is victory, it is a very good sign and we are thanking God for it that some of the Chibok girls were released. Nigerians have been celebrating all this while, the church joins them in the celebration and we are one with them.

 So, we first of all thank God that a few of them, just 21 were released. The Chibok girls need medical assistance; the government is doing that already. They have been taken to hospital. I think they will need psychological rehabilitation. The government need to bring in experts to stabilise them because they must have gone through a lot of trauma. 

"I don’t think they will be their normal selves any longer. So, the Chibok girls need to be psychologically brought back to their real life. And we need to pray for them; the church will be very happy to do that. We keep praying for the release of the rest because they are human beings to be respected. The life of one person is as important as the lives of the whole nation, which must be respected."