19th February, 2015
It’s been over ten months since over 200 schoolgirls were abducted in their school in Chibok, Borno State, by the Boko Haram terror group, and it saddens many Nigerians that they are yet to be found almost a year after.
The girls were abducted by the insurgents on the night of 14 April, 2014, as they slept in the dormitories of their school in Chibok. They had earlier returned to their school after a long break due to security challenges to prepare for their school certificate examination.
While a few girls managed to escape, others have not been heard of despite international outcry and assistance by America, France, Britain, China and Israel. Many of the girls were only seen in a video released by Abubakar Shekau, the sect leader, who threatened to marry them off or sell them as sex slaves unless they were exchanged with his comrades in various Nigerian jails. The government rejected the offer, saying that it could not negotiate with faceless terrorists. Since then, more women and girls have been kidnapped and the Chibok girls have not been heard of.
Many lies were told by security agencies about their imminent release, but nothing came close to that. It is our opinion that the abduction of the Chibok girls and the inability of the government to free them is one of the biggest failures of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The primary responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens. But the government let down the Chibok girls. And in their captivity, they would be wondering why they have not been rescued from their abductors after such a long period.
Even if the government has forgotten the Chibok girls, we have not. We hope and pray that soon the girls would regain their freedom. Their freedom would show that the rest of us are human beings, not animals.