Last Friday marked exactly 900 days that 276 girls were
abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from Government Girls Secondary School,
Chibok, Borno State. Although 57 of the girls escaped from their abductors on
that day, the remaining 219, except the one recently found on the outskirts of
Sambisa forest with a baby, are still in the captivity of the terrorists. From
the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan who lost his job partly
because of the manner he handled the matter to that of his successor, President
Muhammadu Buhari, options remain unclear about the efforts by the federal government
to rescue the girls.
Yet, without the return of the girls, the promise of the constitution
that the welfare of Nigerians shall be the primary purpose of government will
continue to ring hollow – because the implication would be that our government
has failed not only those girls in distress but also their parents and by
extension, all Nigerians. That then explains why giving up on rescuing the
girls cannot be an option for any self-respecting society. The federal
government must therefore step up its game by prioritising the rescue effort.
In the course of his trip for the United Nations General
Assembly last month, President Buhari sought the mediation of the international
community in the efforts to free the Chibok girls from the captivity of Boko
Haram. The government, the president told UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon,
was willing to accept the UN as a mediator. “The challenge is in getting
credible and bonafide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with,” said President
Buhari. “The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters. Government
had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult to identify
credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN outfits, to step
in.”
Being the first time the president would raise hope about
the prospect of securing the release of the abducted girls, it was a welcome
development for which we urge a quick follow-up. There are experts in such
field of negotiations that can help and given the promises of recent years,
there is no reason why such support would not be placed at the disposal of
Nigeria on the issue of Chibok girls. But that will happen only if the
government is ready and willing to walk its talk. Unfortunately, we have not
seen much evidence of that on this tragic matter.
As we have argued on this page on several occasions, we
cannot afford to give up on the abducted girls because they represent a blur on
our collective humanity. Therefore, the authorities must deploy all necessary
resources, equipment, intelligence and men into the forest and beyond –
whatever it takes – to get the girls out. Security men must redouble their
efforts, as each day that passes is one day too many. Nigerians desperately
need the assurance that our government has the capacity to defend our territory
and that the life of every single citizen in distress matters. Nothing would
symbolise that more than the return of the Chibok girls.
It is indeed for that reason that we have always supported
the men and women in the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) coalition who continue to
pile pressure on government and its agencies to ensure the rescue of the girls.
We salute their tenacity and sacrifice. And in a vibrant country such as ours,
the media must keep the Chibok girls on the front burner of public discourse.
They have been away for such a long time. Even when hopes seem to be waning for
the parents, some of whom have died in anguish, the authorities should do
everything necessary to bring the Chibok girls back home.
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