#ChibokGirls 1,500 days of agony and despair

23 May 2018

Today is 1,500 days since schoolgirls of Government Secondary School, Chibok were abducted in their school on the night of 14 April 2014; 112 of them remain missing to this day.

Today is also Day 1,090 of President Muhammadu Buhari’s stewardship as the President, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 6 days, on May 29, it will be exactly 3 years since in his inauguration speech the President uttered the words, ‘…we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.’

We wish to remind the President that 1,090 days on, our 112 #ChibokGirls remain missing (even though there have been claims of the terrorists being defeated.)

Our movement is bothered that 1,500 days on the Federal Government seems to have forgotten that there are still 112 #ChibokGirls in captivity. The unhealthy and uneasy quietness from the FG is source of grave concern.

The families, community, and the public have been in utter darkness without any communication from the FG. Today, being a milestone day, the FG has again failed to reach out to the families to provide them succour and words of hope. This lack of communication to the parents is a worse form of torture in itself.

The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has addressed none of the issues our movement has raised about the efforts to return our #ChibokGirls, nor the challenge put by others to the FG to produce a proof-of-life video after their claim that our girls are still alive.

On this sad day, we again call on the Federal Government to secure the return of our #ChibokGirls, 1,500 days of despair and agony are unbearable.

We also remind the FG and the world that in 8 days Leah Sharibu would have been in captivity for 100 days if she is not brought back before then. Five of her colleagues remain unaccounted for. She must not be allowed to be held captive for 100 days, nor her 5 colleagues unaccounted for.

Signed: For and on behalf of #BringBackOurGirls

FLORENCE OZOR
AISHA YESUFU
OBY EZEKWESILI