Ahead of the first-year commemoration of the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls,#BringBackOurGirls has renewed call for their release.The kids were abducted in Chibok, a far-flung Borno State community, on April 14, 2014 by suspected Boko Haram fighters. The incident did provoke a global outrage against terrorist activities in the country.
But less than two weeks to the first-year remembrance of the horrible incident, the concerted campaigns it generated appear to have not realised their dream, as the majority of the hostages have yet to be rescued.
Writing on its official Facebook page on Thursday, #BringBackOurGirls, a movement formed to galvanise action plans towards the girls’ freedom, said 219 out of the initial 276 victims were still missing.
The group put the total number that escaped the den of the terrorists at 57.
There were reports that a number of the hostages had miraculously escaped, with some of them granting media interviews on their ordeal.
“We are all saddened as the one year of this heinous abduction approaches… We are hopeful and still expect the rescue of our 219 Girls before that date. However, we are organising programmes to commemorate this sad event if they are not back by then,” the group lamented on Facebook.
According to the campaigners, there will be week-long activities, aimed at reactivating the call for actions. The programme, titled #ChibokGirls #NeverToBeForgotten, according to the group, kicks off April 8, and it is expected to end on the anniversary day.
#BringBackOurGirls called on concerned individuals in different parts of the world to join the solidarity in their communities to renew global empathy for the cause, which it believed will pay off one day.
It noted, “This special commemoration is not for entertainment; we find the continued captivity of the girls unacceptable. We wish to demand expeditious global campaign to accelerate all efforts being coordinated by the Nigerian government and its allies towards their rescue.
“The effort of every man and woman, far and near, in this particular period will be critical in driving the renewed demand and pressure to find our girls and bring them home to their parents.”
It decried the continued captivity of the girls, noting that “a day a day with terrorists is agonisingly dreadful enough” much less a year.
It called on Nigeria to give the rescue mission the seriousness it accorded the just-concluded presidential election. Global leaders, it urged, must not renege on their pledge to work with the Federal Government on the cause.
Responding to the call, one Oluwayiose Olamidunjoye said, “We will never relent in our efforts to reawaken the concern of our leaders and the whole country. With a collective measure and ideal mindset, we will make sure the girls are rescued.”
The Nigerian military and the neighbouring armies have recently recorded groundbreaking achievements in their anti-terrorism campaigns, freeing many hitherto Boko Haram-annexed communities. Yet, the dream of rescuing the Chibok girls appears a mirage.
The demands of the group are coming at a time the world has turned its attention towards Nigeria and on the heels of a renewed commitment towards anti-terrorism war.
The President-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, pledged that his administration would address local terrorism with dispatch when it assumes leadership on May 19.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has assured Nigerians that his officers will ensure that the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the presidential/National Assembly polls is replicated during the April 11 governorship/ state legislative elections and subsequent ones. His message was contained in a series of tweets posted on NPF Twitter page on Tuesday.
A former military head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), had paid a visit to Abba to commend him for the contribution he made towards ensuring a peaceful election on Saturday.
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