Yesterday, 9 May 2026, 12 survivors of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping officially graduated from the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State, twelve years after their initial abduction by Boko Haram.
At the AUN’s 17th commencement, the women were celebrated as symbols of resilience who reclaimed their futures through education after surviving years of trauma.
The Journey to the Stage
The former Chibok schoolgirls were among the 236 to 261 students who received undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Following their escape and release, the girls were enrolled in AUN’s New Foundation School (NFS), an intensive preparatory programme designed to bridge the educational gap caused by their years in captivity before they transitioned into full undergraduate studies.
The ceremony was marked by powerful testimonies of healing and national pride from some of the graduates who expressed happiness before their teaming family members and friends.
“We came here broken but we found strength and learned how to dream again.” – Survivor.
One of the graduates, Mercy Ali Paul, stated that “Graduating feels like a dream I never thought would come true.”
According to her, “Ten years ago, I was just hoping to survive the nightmare of abduction… I knew education was the key to rebuilding my future, and now with this diploma, I feel empowered.”
Another graduate who prefers to remain anonymous disclosed that “We came here broken,” assuring that “we found strength and learned how to dream again.”
The graduates. Credit: Rebecca Mallum.
One of the surviving girls, Rebecca Mallum, took to FB to send her heartfelt felicitations to her colleagues, stressing, “Today, some of us Chibok girls are graduating, and my heart is full.”
Mallum, who acknowledged that “Although I wasn’t privileged enough to be among them, the blessings of God come in different dimensions to us all,” nonetheless stressed that, “I am truly grateful and proud that some of us have been able to make it this far. Our story remains one of strength, resilience, and hope.”
She noted that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” adding, “Congratulations to every graduating girl. May this be the beginning of greater achievements and a brighter future ahead.”
“Chibok abduction remains a “painful episode in the conscience of Nigeria.” – Vice President Shettima
AUN President, Professor DeWayne Frazier, described their walk across the stage as a “sacred moment of triumph over fear, resilience over trauma, and hope over everything that once sought to destroy them.”
Frazier further maintained that it was a their graduation is a “powerful global symbol of triumph over adversity.”
Dignitaries present at the event included Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was represented by Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu and the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, who spoke glowingly of the graduates.
Vice President Shettima disclosed that their graduation “has raised hope for women’s education in the country and beyond,” underlining that the Chibok abduction remains a “painful episode in the conscience of Nigeria.”
Speaking during the occasion, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, emphasised, “Adversity is not the end of life when the right corrective steps are taken… the Chibok stigma has ended. Now they are American University of Nigeria graduates.”
The commencement speaker, Veteran journalist Stephanie Busari, who was instrumental in obtaining the first “proof-of-life” video of the girls in 2016, delivered an emotional speech.
While this milestone celebrates the success of 12 survivors, current reports indicate that approximately 80 to 90 Chibok girls remain in captivity or are missing.
