As April 14 makes it exactly three years since 276 school girls in Chibok, Borno State were adopted by Boko Haram terrorists, Amnesty International and Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to gear up efforts to free about 195 of the girls still in captivity.
This was even as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had earlier hinted that there are intense ongoing negotiations with the insurgent group to free more Chibok schoolgirls still in their custody.
Amnesty made its call as part of the ongoing seven-day global week of action declared by the BBOG group to mark the third anniversary of the abduction of the schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014.
In a statement by its Country Director for Nigeria, Makmid Kamara, Amnesty International said, “Boko Haram continues to abduct women, girls and young men who are often then subjected to horrific abuses, including rape, beatings and being forced into suicide bombing missions.
“Sadly, much such abduction goes unnoticed and unreported by the media. This has left many parents and relatives without any hope of being reunited with their loved ones. These appalling abductions and other attacks, some of which constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, are carried out by Boko Haram on an almost daily basis.
“They must stop. Today we remember and lend solidarity to the families of the Chibok girls as well as the thousands of other women, girls and men abducted, killed or displaced by Boko Haram.”
Aisha Yesufu and Oby Ezekwesili, conveners of the BBOG group during a march from its usual base at the Unity Fountain in the Central Business District of Abuja to the Federal Secretariat junction of the Presidential Villa on Wednesday also bemoaned that after three years, majority of the school girls remained in captivity.
Mrs. Yesufu, who addressed the group said, “What is the crime of the Chibok girl? Is it because she is poor or is it because she wants to be educated? Our sisters have spent three years in captivity just because they dared to be educated. Every Nigerian must be protected by the Nigerian state.
“We have said it repeatedly and also again, if the Chibok girls were daughters of the rich, or belong to the political class, will they still be in captivity for three years? If it was Zara Buhari or Kiki Osinbajo that was in captivity, will they have to be standing and making demands for three years?
“President Muhammadu Buhari must remember that he campaigned using the Chibok girls. He said he was going to rescue them immediately. What is he doing? Why is there silence from this administration that campaigned using our Chibok girls? Why are the Chibok girls’ parents begging to be heard, begging to be told what is going on?”
However, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while disclosing government ongoing negotiation to free more of the girls assured that he was optimistic the dialogue would yield the desired result in due course.
“There is a lot of negotiation going on. Government has gone quite far with negotiations to free more girls”, he said.
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