There are still 109 Chibok schoolgirls in captivity eight years after their abduction – and more than 20 of their parents have killed themselves and others have developed debilitating illnesses caused by the trauma and depression they have suffered.
On April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were abducted by the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram, from a secondary school in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State in northeast, Nigeria.
The world was outraged.
Some of the girls managed to escape and others were released after a worldwide #Bringbackourgirls campaign and government negotiations.
Despite efforts to free all the pupils, 109 of the girls remain in captivity and at least 16 have been killed.
The schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok in 2014 are only a small percentage of the total number of people abducted by the JAS and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Amnesty International estimated in 2015 that at least 2,000 women and girls had been abducted since 2014, many of whom had been forced into sexual slavery.
Since then, abductions have continued. Between December 2020 and October last year, 1,436 schoolchildren and 17 teachers were abducted from schools in Nigeria by armed groups.
The recent surge in abductions has triggered prolonged school shutdowns and in turn has led to a decline in school enrolment and attendance, as well as a rise in child marriages and pregnancies among school-going-aged girls.
Amnesty International said that of the more than 1,500 schoolchildren who had been abducted in northern Nigeria since the Chibok attack, at least 120 pupils remain in captivity. They are mostly schoolgirls and their fate remains unknown.
Of the 102 students who were kidnapped from the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri, nine are still being held by their captors. One of the 121 pupils abducted from the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State remains in captivity. Five of the 19 students abducted from Greenfield University were murdered and one of the 333 pupils from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara was also killed. Five of the 276 pupils kidnapped in Dapchi were killed; one pupil, Leah Sharibu, a Christian, remains in captivity. And five of the 136 schoolchildren kidnapped from Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina have also been killed.
On April 14 it was exactly eight years since the Chibok girls’ abduction. Many believe that this accentuates the belief that government authorities have failed to find decisive strategic measures to protect schoolchildren and their right to education.
More than 20 parents have lost their lives as a result of the trauma and depression they suffered when their girls were taken. Many other have succumbed to illnesses because they have not seen their daughters for eight years.
Some parents of the Chibok girls told RNI that they are in severe pain caused by the trauma of not seeing their children for so long. They urged the Federal Government to do something about it.
Rachel Daniel said: “I’m one of the parents of the Chibok girls who were abducted. My daughter’s name is Rose Daniel and I have not seen her for eight years now since she and the other girls were kidnapped. Some of them have been freed but my daughter is still missing. I can’t sleep because of the trauma I’m going through; sometimes I have to take pills to comfort myself. I’m begging the Federal Government to rescue our children. What have we done wrong to deserve this or are we not Nigerians? Just recently some kidnapped schoolchildren were rescued in Katsina, Jigawa and other places. But many Chibok girls are still in captivity.”
A father of one of the abducted girls, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “My daughter is among those who are still in captivity. I’m in despair; I don’t know if I will ever see my daughter again. If I knew what would happen to her, I would not have enrolled her in school. But, anyway, we have left everything to God, we will see what God can do.”
Allen Manasseh, director of media and communication of the Kibaku (Chibok) Area Development Association (KADA), told RNI that every year on the anniversary of the abduction, the Federal Government should come up with some good news to commemorate the girls.
“Every year, the government releases a press statement indicating or claiming that they’re doing their best, that they’re making efforts to ensure the release of those girls still being held captive and that’s all. But they will never bring good news about this. We know these are just empty statements without any action.”
Manasseh said that there are 119 remaining Chibok girls still in captivity.
“We are still looking for them. A while ago the government said two of the Chibok girls had escaped but up until now we haven’t seen them. The government claims they are in a protective IDP camp. They have not been reunited with their parents and their parents do not know the whereabouts of their children. Honestly, this is inappropriate.”
He said the Nigerian government keeps telling the world that it’s winning the war against the insurgency but there is no clear evidence that they have even tried to rescue the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls. Other abducted schoolchildren have been rescued, such as those from the Dapchi school in Yobe State, after negotiations.
“The Federal Government always says it’s winning the war against the insurgency but, if that’s the case, where are the abducted Chibok schoolgirls?
Manasseh said the fact that the government still has not rescued the Chibok girls after eight years is shameful and shows that this government can no longer safeguard the lives and property of its citizenry which is their fundamental human rights enshrined in the Nigeria’s constitution.
“What kind of government is this that’s not doing its required duties and responsibilities of rescuing and protecting the rights of these abducted schoolgirls but is focusing on how to reintegrate surrendered or repentant Boko Haram members back into the society, even giving them training and money so that they have a sustainable means of livelihood.
“Honestly, if government authorities cannot address the root causes and issues of this insecurity, then their being in power is irrelevant. It would be better if they just stepped down,” Manasseh said.
As part of activities marking the eight-year commemoration of the Chibok girls’ abduction, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a statement appealing to government authorities in Nigeria to make schools safe and provide a secure learning environment for every child in the country, especially for girls, to increase girls’ enrolment, retention and completion of education.
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
