*Group stages 2-day event in Abuja and Lagos to press home a 9-point agenda
ON occasion of the 9th anniversary of the abduction of the students of the Chibok Secondary Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSO), acting under the popular BringBackOurGirls group, has reminded the outgoing President Buhari’s administration of its failure to secure the release of the rest of the kidnapped girls.
In a public statement titled, “Chibok Girls: 9 Years On”, released on April 13, the group announced that it would be holding a 2-day event on Friday April 14 ad Saturday, 15th to remind the government of its failed promise to rescue the 96 remaining girls in the captivity of the Boko Haram sect.
The two-day event as outlined by the body is as follows:
BBOG will commemorate 9 years since the abduction as follows:
1) Friday 14th April, 4:30pm – 5:30pm WAT, Unity Fountain, Abuja
Chibok Community (KADA) Media Conference
Zoom: bit.ly/BBOGPress
2) Saturday 15th April, 12:00pm – 2:00pm WAT | Falomo Roundabout, Ikoyi, Lagos
3) Engagement with representatives
Global Voices of BBOG, Interfaith Prayers & Roll Call of the Missing
Zoom: bit.ly/BBOG2023
A total of 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped in April 2014, from their school in Chibok while they were about writing an examination. The unprecedented incident soon went viral with eminent local and global citizens ad groups picking up the campaigns.
Some of the students had since escaped while others were freed through various forms of negotiations and military campaigns. 96 of the students have, however, remained in captivity, nine years after. The incident led to the formation of the BringBackOurGirls coalition, which has remained consistent in its campaigns.
On this 9th anniversary, the BringBackOurGirls coalition reminded President Buhari of his May 29 statement in 2015 when during his swearing ceremony, he said, “We can not claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.”
The group also issued a new-9-point demand, which include urging the government to: bring back the girls before May 29, 2023; and making a “push to finally defeat Boko Haram, ISWAP, and liberate all our citizens.”
The coalition’s statement states in parts:
“As we approach the tragic ninth anniversary of the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State – April 14, 2014 – our hearts remain broken at the failure to close this shameful chapter in our country’s history as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari in his address to the nation in 2015 and various times subsequently.
The last report we received on the status of the Chibok Girls in October 2022 is as follows:
- 276 Abducted
- 57 Escaped
- 107 Released
- 16 Rescued (by the Military)
- 96 Still Missing
“We are equally distressed to learn that after a successful campaign by our gallant military in the last two years when they liberated thousands of people including over 12 girls – now women – and handed them over to the Borno State Government, our daughters and sisters remain in the custody of the State and have not been properly reunited with their families or back in control of their lives now that they are out of the hands of the terrorists. Have our girls escaped one form of captivity only to spend 6 months to one and a half years in a different form of captivity? What crime have they committed? Why are survivors of unimaginable trauma being treated this way?
“We appeal and demand that the President fulfils his promise to his daughters from Chibok, to Leah Sharibu, his daughter from Dapchi and other victims of insurgency, bandits and kidnappers and rescue them before his term of office ends on May 29, 2023. The rescue and rehabilitation of our daughters whose education was interrupted and the restoration of peace in their communities will be an undeniable legacy of President Buhari’s administration.
Our Nine Demands at nine years
1) Bring back our girls before May 29, 2023. A push to finally defeat Boko Haram, ISWAP, and liberate all our citizens.
2) Accountability from the Borno State Government. A full report and debriefing for the parents on the status, academic plans and wishes of the rescued girls, women and children in their custody.
3) Provide closure for parents on the fate of their daughters who they have reason to believe are dead.
4) Psycho-social support for Chibok and other conflict-affected families of abducted students to address the trauma to families; equipping and completion of their education, shelter, and empowerment to earn a living.
5) Equip and motivate the police and armed forces and see to their welfare and proper care for the families of officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
6) Reinvest in the Victims Support Fund (VSF) to care for the practical needs of all returned and rescued girls, siblings and family members of girls. The federal government has seemingly abandoned VSF to the management of one generous citizen.
7) Public statement on the Missing Persons Register and immediate reopening of a properly resourced and staffed Missing Persons Desk at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
8) Report on the coordinated provision of security for schools – primary, secondary, and higher education at local, state and federal levels.
9) Status report on the Safe Schools Initiative and adequate financing to ensure its effectiveness.
