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How 14-Year-old Chibok girl escaped Captivity without the help of Nigerian Army
The newly-freed Chibok schoolgirl, Salomi Pogu, who was abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 but rescued last week, has given details of how she managed to escape from her captors.
Pogu, who was amongst over 200 school girls kidnapped by the militant group, is the latest of 107 girls to either escape, be rescued or freed.
The Nigerian Army said Pogu and another Boko Haram captive, Jamila Adamu, a 14-year-old teenager who was found with a baby, were rescued on January 4.
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The two girls have now spoken exclusively to PREMIUM TIMES from a government safe-house where they are being accommodated by the Borno state government.
The girls said they regained their freedom after many months of trying to escape from their abductors.
Their narrative was that of two courageous young women from different backgrounds, bound by the same fate and determination to survive.
While Salomi was abducted at the age of 15, Jamila, the girl who later become her bosom friend said she was only 11 years old when Boko Haram abducted her from Pulka village of Gwoza local government, three years back.
The two girls had their share of unpleasant experiences under the captivity of one of the world’s deadliest terror groups.
Salomi met Jamila, who was abducted alongside her eldest sister, in 2015.
Except for their ability to speak Hausa, the two girls had nothing in common in terms of religion, native language and education.
Salomi, a Christian from Chibok, was in her final year in secondary school when she was seized, while Jamila, a Muslim from Gwoza, had never attended a school before she was taken captive.
After years of being with the Boko Haram fighters who subjected them to agony and slavery, the girls were married off and taken to a village called Ndugne under Gwoza local government area.
Before that, the girls said they were moved to different villages, where they would live for months, as their abductors tried to avoid being attacked by troops of the Nigerian military.
“We became friends with Salomi because we lived close to one another in the captured village of Ndugne,” said Jamila, who is still nursing a 16 months baby girl, Hasiya. Apparently poorly fed, the toddler looks like an eight-month-old.
For the obvious reason that their place of captivity was a terrain she was familiar with, Jamila deployed her knowledge of the area to plot their escape.
The two friends, who now relate almost like sisters, said they attempted to escape in the past but without success. They were never caught, though.
Despite their age difference, Salomi found the younger Jamila a friend she could confide in and who understood and empathised with her weak nature as someone who usually falls sick.
Doctors in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, have just diagnosed her to be anaemic.
Salomi had two marriages, while Jamila had broken off with the man with whom she bore a daughter. Had the latter not plotted their escape, she would have been forced to enter into yet another forced marriage.
The two girls said they were not assisted to escape on the night they carried out their final and successful move to leave the clutches of the insurgents.
“We escaped on our own in the night and ran through the bush until we got to the soldiers’ post in Pulka village near Gwoza,” said Jamila.
They both said it was suicidal for anyone to contemplate escaping during the day time.
“We sneaked out of the village at about one o’clock in the night when everywhere is quiet and most people, including the Boko Haram watchmen were asleep. And we got to the soldiers’ security post at about 2 a.m.
The girls explained that the distance between the village where they were kept and the soldiers’ security post ”was not much.”
“It was not that far, though we were walking and running till we got there,” Salomi chipped in.
“The soldiers ordered us to stop at a distance,” Jamila continued.
“They beamed light on us and asked us to strip off all our clothes to assure them we were not carrying anything that could harm them. So we had to pull off our clothes completely and when they saw nothing on us, they then asked us to dress up. That was when they allowed us to advance closer before we told them that we were abductees fleeing from one of the camps,” said Jamila.
The girls said the soldiers became excited when they found out that Salomi Pogu was one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
“That was not our first attempt at escaping. We tried it before but we got lost in the dark, not knowing which direction to take, so we had to return to the village again,” said Salomi.
The two girls said their escape was a ”matter of do or die.”
If they remained with Boko Haram, they might still die either of the increasing hunger in the camps or they could as well be hit in the crossfire during a shootout, they said.
Many women and children were killed during shootouts, they added.
Jamila said she knew the dangers of plotting an escape. She had witnessed the killing of those who were caught trying to escape.
She said if caught trying to escape, she would possibly have been the first to be executed because their abductors knew she is from Gwoza and must have been the person that encouraged Salomi to escape.
“Some that were caught trying to escape for the first time were flogged and warned not to try it again. But others that were caught were either slaughtered or shot in the head. Many girls and boys were shot in the head for trying to escape. But helping someone to escape is even more dangerous,” said Jamila.
Precision and Heritage: How Fifi Stitches Is Rewriting African Fashion Narratives
A Nigerian-born designer is gradually carving out a cross-continental footprint in contemporary fashion, blending African textile heritage with British technical discipline.
Esther Fiyinfoluwa Adeosun, Founder and Creative Director of Fifi Stitches, is gaining recognition for structured womenswear and bridal couture that reinterprets traditional fabrics through architectural tailoring and precision construction.
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeosun’s fashion journey began at home, seated beside her mother’s sewing machine. What started as childhood curiosity, sometimes jamming the machine just to understand its mechanics—evolved into a disciplined design practice now operating between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
During an interview with journalists the fifi Stitches once mentioned “I was fascinated by how flat fabric could transform into something structured and meaningful”.
In her Story , early designs made for her family, though imperfectly finished, were worn with pride—an encouragement that laid the foundation for her professional confidence.
Today, Fifi Stitches is recognised for sculpted bodices, controlled tailoring, corsetry construction, and the contemporary reinterpretation of Ankara, Aso Oke, and Adire textiles.
The brand challenges the long-held perception that African fabrics belong solely in ceremonial contexts, instead positioning them within global luxury and modern design spaces.
Adeosun’s training reflects this dual perspective. She studied Fashion Design and Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, and earned a Diploma in Fashion Design through Alison Online.
In the UK, she undertook industry-focused technical training with Fashion-Enter Ltd and gained fashion business exposure through Fashion Capital UK.
Her technical expertise spans pattern drafting, draping, garment technology, structured tailoring, corsetry, and bespoke fittings—skills she describes as central to credibility in fashion. “Precision builds trust,” she says. “A designer must understand construction as deeply as creativity.”
Fifi Stitches has showcased collections at the Suffolk Fashion Show, Liverpool Fashion Show – FB Fashion Ball, Red Carpet Fashion Event in London, and through editorial features in London Runway Magazine.
The brand has also received coverage in The Guardian Nigeria and Vanguard Allure, expanding its visibility across markets.
Beyond couture, Adeosun integrates community impact into her practice.
She has facilitated garment construction workshops, draping sessions, and introductory training programmes for women and emerging creatives, promoting fashion as both artistic expression and vocational empowerment.
Fifi Stcithes Boss operates between Nigeria and the UK, in order to continue to shape her brand identity.
According to her “Nigeria provides cultural richness and expressive textile traditions, while the UK offers structured production systems, sustainability conversations, and institutional frameworks”.
Looking ahead, Adeosun said she plan to establish a fully structured fashion house spanning Africa and the UK, develop scalable production partnerships, launch capsule collections, and expand independent editorial visibility.
Her broader ambition is clear: to position African textile craftsmanship within global contemporary design conversations—through structure, discipline, and technical excellence.
GTCO Launches “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, Opens Call for Applications
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has announced the launch of “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation, empowering talent, and supporting the development of technology-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across Africa.
Now in its third edition, the Hackathon brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs across Nigeria in a collaborative environment to build practical solutions across key sectors including financial services, healthcare, commerce and digital inclusion. Under the theme “Smart Systems: The Intelligent Economy,” participants are challenged to design and build intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform how communities engage with money.
Applications are now open, and interested teams can find full guidelines and registration details on the official portal at https://squadco.com/hackathon.
Speaking on the initiative, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, stated: “Today’s dynamic, digitally driven world demands continuous innovation, which is shaping how economies grow, how businesses scale, and how societies evolve. Through “Take on Squad” Hackathon, we are deliberately investing in the ideas and talent that will define the future. Our objective is not simply to encourage innovation, but to enable its translation into scalable solutions that deliver real and measurable impact. This reflects GTCO’s role as a financial services platform that connects capital, capability, and creativity to drive sustainable progress.”
The social coding event remains a cornerstone of HabariPay’s mission to foster creativity and problem-solving among emerging tech talents. Competing teams will leverage Squad’s advanced APIs to create scalable digital tools that address everyday challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
Through initiatives such as this, GTCO continues to position itself at the intersection of finance, technology and enterprise, actively shaping the future of digital transformation in Africa.
About HabariPay
HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.
HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.
About Squad
Squad is a complete digital payments solution that is reliable, secure, and affordable, making receiving in-person and online payments simpler and convenient.
Thousands of merchants currently leverage Squad’s payment solutions for their daily business operations. Squad’s current products and service offerings include SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Squad Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefront.
Find out more at www.squadco.com.
Electric 8-Seater Tula Moto Keke Enters Nigerian Market, Targets Higher Operator Earnings
LAGOS — A new electric-powered tricycle with an expanded passenger capacity has been introduced into Nigeria’s urban transport sector, offering operators a potentially more profitable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional petrol-driven “keke.”
The newly launched 8-seater electric tricycle, now available in Lagos with plans for nationwide distribution, features a dual-row seating arrangement capable of accommodating up to eight passengers per trip—significantly higher than the standard three-passenger configuration common across the country.
Promoters of the innovation say the increased capacity is designed to boost daily earnings for operators, particularly amid persistent fluctuations in fuel prices. By running entirely on electric power, the vehicle eliminates dependence on petrol, reducing operating costs and shielding drivers from fuel price volatility.
According to the distributors, the tricycle is equipped with a durable battery system capable of covering extended distances on a single charge, making it suitable for commercial operations across high-traffic routes, residential estates, campuses, and marketplaces.
“The concept is straightforward—enable drivers to earn more while spending less,” a company representative stated. “With higher passenger capacity and zero fuel requirements, operators can maximise each trip without the burden of daily fuel expenses.”
Beyond its cost-saving potential, the electric keke is also said to require less maintenance than traditional models, offering additional long-term savings. Its quieter and smoother operation is expected to enhance passenger comfort and overall commuting experience.
Industry analysts note that the introduction of electric mobility solutions reflects a growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable transportation alternatives in Nigeria, particularly in densely populated urban centres such as Lagos.
The distributors added that the product is currently available under a limited promotional offer, with delivery options across the country.
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📍 Plot 9, Block 113, Beulah Plaza,
Lekki–Epe Expressway,
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
As transportation costs continue to rise and environmental concerns gain prominence, innovations like the electric 8-seater keke may signal an emerging transition toward more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions nationwide.
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