Abducted Chibok girls risk organ failure

A Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr. Mashidat Mojeed-Bello, has raised the alarm that the memories of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted on April 14, 2014 by members of the dreaded Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, may have been affected due to their continued exposure to harsh environment.

She said the incident might have negatively affected the girls’ major organs.

“Because of their exposure to rape and their rights trampled upon, their major organs may be negatively affected,” she said.

She told Saturday PUNCH in an interview during the week that the girls might have been experiencing bodily reaction in different ways as a result of their rights that were being forcefully trampled upon.

Bello said, “Emotionally, the abduction will create anger in the girls; they will be angry with themselves and others. They will be experiencing serious depression.

“They may become hopeless and distrust of people around them; the girls will feel empty and constantly feel threatened.

“If the girls are released or rescued, they may want to hate schooling because aggression may have set in. The harsh condition to which they have been subjected may also change their personalities.”

Bello, however, urged the government to involve relevant professional communities in the rehabilitation of the girls after their release.

To a Gynaecologist, Dr. Olanrewaju Ekunji, the abducted schoolgirls would develop phobia for sex, adding that they were prone to the risk of sexually-trasmitted diseases, which might affect their reproductive organs.