May 29: Who Will Hand Over Chibok Girls?

A concerned Nigerian, Adeolu Isadiran, amidst the buzz generated by the inauguration of Nigeria’s incoming president, Muhammadu Buhari reflects on the kidnap of the Chibok Girls on a day other kids were celebrating children’s day.

Read below: 

“Ruminating on the state of the nation, and the thought that President Jonathan will hand over power to Muhammad Buhari in about 24 hours from now crossed my mind. Then again, I remember that it is already 409 days today since over 200 schoolgirls were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, by the members of Boko Haram terrorists group and they are yet to be handed over to their respective parents. Also, it is another Children’s Day. I thought of the ‘pains’ the ‘free Nigerians’are going through at the moment – fuel scarcity, electricity shutdown and more and again I tried to imagine the agony the girls will be going through in the hands of their abductors.

President Goodluck Jonathan had in the past made series of public statements assuring that his government will do everything necessary to ensure that the kidnapped Chibok girls are rescued. It is already 24 hours to the handing over date; yet, the whereabouts of the Chibok girls is still elusive.

Though our soldiers have recorded some successes in rescuing a group of women and girls, however, what could have been a perfect complement/icing on the cake for the May 29 handing over ceremony is being able to rescue these girls and hand them over to their parents. But except for a miracle, this is not likely to happen with the President Jonathan’s government.

The question then is who will hand over the Chibok Girls back to their parents and when? It is another Children’s Day celebration again, making it the second that the girls are spending in the camp of their abductors. Since the government of President Jonathan has failed to rescue these girls, the onus is therefore on the incoming government of Muhammad Buhari to ensure that the mystery around the whereabouts of the Chibok girls is unravelled; the girls rescued and handed over to their parents”.

A report released by Human Rights Watch six months ago revealed that no fewer 500 women and girls have been abducted by the dreaded Boko Haram sect since 2009 to 2014 and most of them have been forcefully married, while others have been forced to join them in their fight against Nigeria’s security agents.