UN, MMF, others set to storm UK for Chibok girls’ 11th anniversary

The United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed; the Emir of Kano, His Highness, Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II and the Chief Operation Officer (COO), Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF), Dr. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode have expressed their readiness to join other global speakers at the 11th year programme, coming up in London, the United Kingdom (UK), on Monday in commemoration of the abduction of the Chibok girls.

The event, themed: “A Decade On: Chibok Photo Exhibition and Commemoration,” will hold at SOAS, University of London, in the UK.

Dr. Muhammed-Oyebode, daughter of Nigeria’s former Head of State, the Late General Murtala Muhammed, made this known in a statement, copy of which was made available to newsmen on Sunday, hinting that she would lead global panelists in a discussion titled: “The Stolen Daughters of Chibok: Resilience, Justice, and Global Lessons.”

According to her, the commemorative event will also feature, photo exhibition, bringing together global leaders, scholars, and advocates to reflect on the enduring tragedy and its impact on education, gender, and conflict recovery.

Muhammed-Oyebode, whose tireless advocacy has been instrumental in keeping the Chibok narrative alive, said she “will open the session with remarks contextualising the ongoing plight of the girls and the communities affected by insurgency in Nigeria.”

“This isn’t just history – this is a continuing horror. We gather not only to honour the stolen daughters of Chibok but to hold the world accountable for allowing impunity to thrive while generations of girls are silenced by violence,” she sadly said.

She said others speakers at the programme include the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, Bulama Bukarti, Osai Ojigho and Dr. Elizabeth Pearson, with an address from His Highness, Emir Sanusi II, who serves as the Honorary Patron of the accompanying photo exhibition.

“The gripping photo exhibition will offer a raw, visual chronicle of the abduction’s aftermath — from the anguish of Chibok mothers to the shattered futures of an entire generation.

“This commemoration not only honours the courage of the Chibok girls and their families but also serves as a call to action — to reignite global attention, promote justice, and advocate for education as a path to resilience.

“This event is more than remembrance. It’s a clarion call to reignite global outrage, to pursue justice without compromise, and to restore dignity and opportunity to girls and women scarred by war,” she stated.

Dr. Muhammed-Oyebode, whose unwavering voice and those of others had kept the memory of the Chibok girls alive for over a decade, however, warned against complacency, saying that efforts must be made never to allow the world to forget as silence would amount to complicity and inaction on part of Nigerians would equally count as betrayal.

*We must never allow the world to forget. Our silence is complicity. Our inaction is betrayal,” she charged.

It would be recalled that the Chibok tragedy, which began on April 14, 2014, became a rallying point for global advocacy, yet many of the girls remain missing, while countless others across Nigeria continue to face abduction, displacement, and violence at the hands of insurgents.