It was another occasion for tears of joy to flow when parents reunited with the 21 freed Chibok schoolgirls.
Yesterday, a thanksgiving service was held at the Directorate of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja, where the girls have been kept since last Thursday when they returned.
The girls spoke about their ordeal in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists and how they lost hope of ever returning to their families.
Gloria Dame, who spoke on behalf of the girls after the service, recollected how they went without food for “one month and 10 days’’ in the bush.
Speaking in Hausa, Gloria, who is Number 139 on the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement’s list of abducted girls, said their survival in captivity was an act of God.
“I did not know that a day like this will come that we will be dancing and giving thanks to God among people.
“For one month and 10 days we stayed without food. I narrowly escaped bomb blast in the forest.
“We are praying to God to touch the heart of Boko Haram to repent and we are calling on Nigerians to pray and fast for the release of our remaining ones in captivity,’’ she said.
While the service was going on, the parents of the freed girls arrived at the venue and were reunited with their loved ones after two and a half years with their abductors.
As soon as they arrived, emotions took over as tears of joy rolled down the eyes of parents and girls.
Tears flowed freely as parents took turns to identify their daughters, while one woman simply carried her daughter on her back in happiness.