My Encounter With ABEL, From CHIBOK

Mrs Edith Jeff Okoroafor

Two days ago, I met a young man from Chibok here in Lagos. He happened to be a commercial motorbike rider popularly called “Okada”, “Going” or “Achaba” in some parts of our country. Abel was his name and in his mid twenties. Out of curiosity, I asked if he happened to know any of the families of the kidnapped Chibok Girls and his response made me wish I never asked: “Why not”?

He went on to tell me how three of his sisters were involved but only one returned. She it was, who alerted the rest of the Girls that “the men” taking them away weren’t soldiers and quickly jumped unto a tree branch as the lorry moved past this giant tree. She held on tight until there was room to land on the ground. That was how she escaped.

Abel today is left with just one out of the three sisters he used to have. If this is not touching enough, think about the narratives of the rest of them who were able to escape from captivity. How about those who lost their lives?

So far, the Country, and by this, I mean our Leaders have only treated this with an attitude I can best relate to the fate of The Ten Green Bottles Standing on the Wall. If one falls, there are nine left. No consequences. No effort is put in place to study the “why’s” of the situation till all is gone. In this case, I say, “God forbid this evil”!

Back to Abel

Since it was my first physical meeting with a victim’s relative, I told of how some persons believe the story is untrue and a mere political weapon against the then seating Leadership. Abel’s response almost moved me to tears. “If it was a lie, then where are the Girls? Where are my sisters?”

I was suddenly sadly silent, wishing I could pluck a consoling response from somewhere, anywhere.

Is it too much to ask a Leader to authorise the search for 219 Girls abducted almost two years ago? No one is even asking that he goes by himself. Just authorise and see to it that they are brought back. Make an effort. Show that it’s a bunch of human beings that are involved here and not a bunch of Cattles. When will a cry for this be enough? The Chibok community have had to move on with their lives ever since… Until yesterday’s bomb blast.

Enough has been enough, President Buhari. Act yesterday!

Edith Jeff-Okoroafor is the Founder of African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi). Email: goldvessel1@gmail.com