Chibok girls: Eight years after

When, in the wee hours of April 15, 2014, a group of Boko Haram marauders stormed the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, and abducted 276 teenage girls; they set off a chain of events whose ripples are still being felt eight years after. On the one hand, the manner in which the abduction was executed, coupled with the helplessness of the then incumbent Goodluck Jonathan administration, brought home to Nigerians the nature of the challenge that the country faced from an increasingly emboldened  insurgency, and the general unpreparedness of the Nigerian state to rein it in. On the other hand, the abduction provided a much needed spark for civic mobilisation, and the #BringBackOurGirls Campaign led by former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, would go on to become one of the most iconic and enduring protests in Nigerian history.

While the campaign can point to some success—the Jonathan government was roused from its lethargy and a good number of the kidnapped girls have since been released in exchange for ransom under the Muhammadu Buhari administration—many, including those abducted after the Chibok episode, are still in captivity, among them Ms. Leah Sharibu, who is reportedly still being held because of her refusal to convert to Islam. It seems reasonable to surmise that not all of the originally abducted girls are alive at this point. At any rate, since then, the country’s security situation has taken a turn for the worse, even as mass abductions have become routine. For instance, in February 2018, 110 schoolgirls were kidnapped when Boko Haram bandits stormed the Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State. Last year alone, more than 1,000 students were captured by bandits across various schools in northern Nigeria.

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With the Federal Government’s virtual surrender of vast swathes of the country’s territory to non-state actors, it can be no surprise that the Chibok girls are still in captivity. The government has given no clues about the girls’ whereabouts, perhaps because it does not have any, and neither has it shown evidence of serious attempt to bring them back home. After eight sad years, it is clear that nothing concrete has been done to wipe away the tears of their parents, guardians and other relations. Are Nigerians supposed to ignore the fact that for eight years, it has been a grueling life of sorrow for the affected families, with no visible sign of relief? There is of course also the case of the remaining abducted Dapchi girls. It’s not known if, as in the case of the Chibok girls, they will ever be rescued. The country’s various security and intelligence agencies seem to have given up on the rescue efforts they assured Nigerians were ongoing during the immediate aftermath of the incident. It’s so sad.

It has become evident that the Buhari administration lacks the capacity to tackle insecurity in the country. It should seek help from the international community, while also keeping the families of the kidnapped girls informed about what it is doing to bring their loved ones back.