Nine years after 276 schoolgirls were abducted in the middle of the night from their dormitory at a school in Chibok, Borno State, 96 girls still remain in captivity.
And the devasting reality is that thousands more children in northeast Nigeria continue to suffer the brutal consequences of conflict.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that since 2014 more than 2,400 incidents of grave violations had been verified, affecting more than 6,800 children in the northeast. Children were still being kidnapped, forcibly recruited by insurgents, injured and killed – their futures torn away.
Allen Manassas, media director of the Chibok community, told RNI that in the nine years that had passed since the girls were abducted on April 14, 2014, nothing had changed.
“Every year on April 14 we remember that sad day. And every year the government makes more promises and releases press statements. But nothing seems to help and the government does not communicate with us.
“Issues, such as Covid-19, the nation’s security and lack of support, have made it impossible to hold the regular protests as we used to every year to put pressure on the authorities to help bring back our girls. It was difficult to organise protests and we got tired. But we still write letters to the government and use online platforms to demand the release of our remaining girls.
“What really bothers us is that we do not have specific information about them and our minds are not at rest.”
Rachel Daniel, the mother of one of the abducted schoolgirls, said: “For nine years my daughter has been lost to us. But a girl who was recently freed told me my daughter, Rose, is still being held captive by Boko Haram [Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS)] and that the girls were being held behind rocks in the forest.
“My daughter has apparently tried to escape three times but each time she was caught. Boko Haram has changed her name but at least she is still alive. I still have high hopes of meeting her again.”
Daniel said the government had managed to bring back some of the girls.
“I am happy for those girls and their families. But I am pleading with the government to put more effort into bringing the rest of our daughters in captivity back home. I miss my daughter so much and I’m worried about her. Are the insurgents treating her well? What kind of life is she leading? Is she being harmed or abused in any way? All of the parents of the missing girls feel the same way. We are all worried sick.”
UNICEF said it welcomed the news that the Nigerian government had signed the UNICEF-supported handover protocol and its commitment to invest ₦144.8 billion towards the Safe Schools Financing Plan.
It would support the government in its implementation to ensure that all children encountered in the course of armed conflict in Nigeria or released from armed groups were quickly reunited with their families and would benefit from reintegration programmes.
UNICEF Nigeria called on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and human rights law and protect the rights and wellbeing of children. The agency was committed to working with the government and partners to ensure that every child in Nigeria could enjoy their rights and live in a peaceful and prosperous society.
AISHA SD JAMAL
