The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abduction

  • Residents protest abduction of 92-year-old ruler

    Residents in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State yesterday protested the abduction of the 92-year-old traditional ruler of Tombia community, Gbarian clan, Christian Otobotekere, by an armed gang.

    Five gunmen at 8am shot their way through to the king’s palace and abducted him.

    “It was like a scene from the movie. The community woke up to hear sounds of gun everywhere. There was panic. But at the end the gunmen took the king,” a source, who spoke in confidence, said.

    The nonagenarian, it was gathered, is the father of Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, former Chief of Staff of Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The victim is also a grand patron of the state chapter Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), which has appealed to the gunmen to set him free by virtue of his age.

    It was gathered that the gunmen forced their victim into a Toyota car and drove him to the Amasoma/Tombia bridge.

    They were said to have burnt the car and later whisked the monarch away to an unknown destination on a waiting speedboat.

    A stray bullet was said to have hit a food vendor in the area during sporadic shooting by the gunmen.

    Sources said the injured vendor was rushed to the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri.

    Aggrieved members of the community were said to have blocked the Amassoma road leading to the Niger Delta University (NDU) in protest.

    They were said to have barricaded the road for hours and denied students and lecturers access to the university.

    Their action created a serious gridlock which extended to the busy Mbiama-Yenagoa road.

    They demanded the release of the aged monarch, describing the action of the abductors as barbaric.

    Police spokesman Asinim Butswat confirmed the incident.

    Butswat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said:  “Five unknown gunmen, who were heavily armed, went to the residence of His Royal Highness, Chief C.A.O. Otobotekere, in Gbarain Clan of Tombia Community, abducted the chief and forced him into a car and drove to Amassoma/Tombia Bridge.

    “They burnt the car beyond recognition, took the victim and whisked him away on a waiting speedboat to an unknown destination.

    “A stray bullet from the abductors, injured a food vendor and he is receiving treatment at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri.

    “Marine Police,JTF, and the Anti-kidnapping unit have moved into the creeks for rescue and possible arrest of the  suspects.”

    Members of the Yenagoa Book Club (YBC) expressed dismay over the abduction of the monarch and called for his immediate release.

    President of the association, Ebiowei Lawal and Secretary, Princewill Sede lamented  increasing kidnappings.

    They said: “To us the act of the kidnappers is not only barbaric and wicked; it is an insult to the literary community in Bayelsa state and the nation at large.”

  • Bayelsa police rescue two abducted Lebanese

    Two expatriates and Lebanese nationals abducted in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, have been rescued by the police.

    The Lebanese identified as Sarki Abi Chmouli and Ibrahim Abi Pherem were kidnapped by eight gunmen on Wednesday at the waterside of Onuegbum.

    The bandits in the process of whisking away their targets, who are employees of a construction company, Pache, killed two policemen.

    The slain policemen were identified by their ranks as sergeant and corporal.

    The gunmen numbering eight invaded the company’s dredging site located close to the community at about 12.20pm on two speedboats.

    The bandits created panic in the area by firing repeated gunshots into the air apparently to counter possible resistance.

    But the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Butswat Asinim, said the police pursued the fleeing gunmen and forced them to abandon their victims on Thursday.

    He said the Lebanese were abandoned at Okodi, a riverine community in Ogbia local government because of the manhunt.

    He said: “On the 25 June, 2015, at about 1500hrs, the two labanese expatriates; Ibrahim Abi Phrem and Sarkis Abi Chmooni, were abducted on the 24 June, 2015 at Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa State.

    “They were abandoned by their abductors at Okodi riverine community in Ogbia LGA, due to the massive manhunt by the Police. They are hale and hearty and they have been reunited with their families.”

    Reacting to the development, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Ogbia clan, commended the police for quickly intervening to rescue the abducted expatriates.

    The Chairman of the clan, Mr. Osanya Osanya, however, mourned the death of the two policemen and commiserated with their families.

    Osanya warned youths who engage in kidnapping and other criminality to desist from them and seek legitimate means of livelihood.

    “We are warning youths in our area to be of good conduct and sustain the peace in the Niger Delta region. We won’t hesitate to assist the police to fish out whoever engages in criminality because we can’t fold our hands and watch a few people damage our name,” he said.

  • Police arrest three for ‘abduction, death of 11-year-old’

    Police arrest three for ‘abduction, death of 11-year-old’

    Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested three suspects for the “abduction and alleged poisoning” of a 11-year-old girl.

    The suspects are Babatunde Aderonmu(21), Sina Damilare (40) and Taofeek Kola (50).

    The minor was said to have been kidnapped on May 21 byAderonmu, an ex – employee of her father, who runs a bakery at Ijoko Ota.

    It was gathered that Aderonmu allegedly took the girl to Osun Jegede, Ogbere in Oyo State, where she was kept in seclusion.

    She died after a  poisonous substance was administer on her.

    The suspects contacted the minor’s parents and demanded N2million. They later reduced it to N300, 000.

    An account number of a prophetess whom they claimed had blessed the operation was given to the victim’s parents.

    Police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who paraded the suspects yesterday in Abeokuta, said the victim’s father informed the police about the case.

    “Upon investigation, the prime suspect, Aderonmu, was arrested onMay 29.

    Adejobi added that the suspects had confessed that an  Islamic cleric, they had engaged, administered a substance on the girl, which unfortunately led to her death.

    “Her remains were later dumped few metres away from the divisional police station in Ogbere Tioya in Ibadan, Oyo State.”

    He said a woman operating a petty shop near the site  alerted her neighbours and also invited the police.

  • Bread seller raped to death in Edo

    Unknown gunmen has abducted and raped a 23 year old girl to death in Benin City, Edo State capital.

    The victim identified as Joy Okoh used to sell bread at Lucky Way junction at Ramat Park, Oregbeni quarters.

    She was abducted while going home and later found dead inside the boot of a Jeep at Upper Mission Extension road in Benin City.

    Her abductors were said to have snatched the vehicle before it was abandoned.

    Also, a teenager whose identity is yet to be ascertained is on the run after allegedly stabbing his mother’s lover to death.

    It was learnt that the teenager committed the act while defending his mother who was engaged in brawl with her late lover.

    The deceased whose name was given as Osayande Edoigiawerie lived with his family at Zabayor Street, the same street where his lover lives with her children.

    Children of the deceased said their father hurriedly left home that evening after receiving a call from his lover.

    The teenager and his mother are now on the run while the house where the incident took place has been abandoned.

    State Police spokesman, DSP Stephen Onwuchei confirmed the incidents and said the police have commenced investigations.

  • Panic over fate of abducted Lebanese, Syrian nationals

    The management of OKMAS Nigeria Limited has raised the alarm over the fate of two expatriates and a Nigerian staff abducted by gunmen last Wednesday from the company’s site in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State.

    Sari Naser Karin and Tarek Maroun Syrian and Lebanese respectively along with their Nigerian counterpart, simply identified as Sahara, were working on the Patani-Oduophori road project awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) when they were abducted by a seven-man gang.

    Confirming the report, the Public Relations Manager of OKMAS Nigeria Limited, Mr Owhondah Ebere, told The Nation: “The whereabouts of two expatriates and a Nigerian who were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday 20/5/15 at 10.30am, in Patani area, Delta state, is still unknown”.
    Police Public Relations Officer in Delta Command, DSP Celestina Kalu, confirmed the report in a telephone interview with our reporter. She said efforts were being made to rescue the construction workers.

    Meanwhile, work at the project site was grounded on Monday following a protest by aggrieved co-workers of the embattled construction workers.

    The workers are demanding increased security presence before returning to work following the Wednesday’s incident.

     

  • Court jails driver for abducting maid

    A Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced a driver, Chukwuma Okeke, 27, to one year imprisonment for abducting a 15-year-old girl from his employer’s house.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.O. Soladoye, jailed Okeke following a plea of guilt by him.

    “Based on the facts of this case, confirmed reports and the plea for leniency, I hereby, sentence you to one year imprisonment without an option of fine,” Soladoye ruled.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict was arraigned on April 8.

    He pleaded guilty to the charge of abducting a girl with intent to have sexual intercourse with her.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, DSP. Godwin Anyanwu, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on March 26 at 1p.m. at No.18b, Prince Bode Oluwo St., Mende, Maryland, Lagos.

    “The convict is the driver while the victim is a housemaid to the complainant, one Mr. and Mrs. Emeka Umeevuruo.

    “The complainant went to work and when they returned, they discovered that the victim and her belongings were missing.

    “The complainant called her cell phone but it was not reachable and they reported the matter at the nearest police station.

    “During investigations, the police noticed that the convict had stopped going to the complainant’s house for his normal duty.

    “The police officers visited the convict’s house and saw the victim there.

    “The convict said that he abducted the victim for sexual satisfaction,” Anyanwu said

  • Abducted emir: Council of chiefs call for prayers

    The Zamfara Council of Chiefs has called on all Nigerians to pray for the safe return of the abducted Emir of Bukkuyum Emirate Council, Alhaji Muhammad Usman.

    The News Agency of   Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the emir was abducted by unknown gunmen at his palace in Bukkuyum on Friday at about 8.55 pm.

    The Chairman of the council and Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, made the call on Tuesday in Anka in an interview with journalists.

    He said there was need for the general public to continue to seek Allah’s intervention for the emir’s safe return.

    The emir described the incident as “unfortunate,’’ saying, “ we never experienced things like this, especially here in northern Nigeria.’’

    He, however, called on family members of the emir, people of the emirate and the general public to remain calm as the state government was working with security agencies to ensure the safe return of the emir.

    NAN reports that the people of Bukkuyum emirate had embarked on special prayers in mosques and Islamic schools over the incident.

  • Ex-NBA chief Wali’s abduction spurs search for answers

    Ex-NBA chief Wali’s abduction spurs search for answers

    The kidnap of the immediate past Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mr. Okey Wali (SAN), has, again, drawn the nation’s attention to a major failure of government in its responsibility of protecting the citizenry. It is now a case of ‘who’s next?’ What is the way out? Eric Ikhilae sought lawyers’ views.

    Kidnapping for ransom used to be a distant occurrence in the past until the Niger Delta militants deployed it as an instrument of struggle.

    Today, individuals are routinely kidnapped and their families compelled to part with huge sums of money before they are released. In some cases, the victims are not returned alive, even where ransoms are paid.

    Incidentally, lawyers, who defend suspected kidnappers and abductors in court, are themselves not immune to this criminal act, fuelled primarily by the prevailing culture of heightening impunity and criminality in the land.

    The recent abduction of the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Okey Wali (SAN), in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has brought to five the number of prominent lawyers so far kidnapped.

    The past cases involved Mrs. Doyin Rhodes-Vivour (wife of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour of the Supreme Court) and her daughter (who were kidnapped on the Benin-Ore Road); rights activist Mike Ozekhome (SAN), kidnapped on the Benin-Auchi Road, in Edo State  and Kayode Ajulo (who was abducted in Abuja). There was also the case of Ilochi Okafor (SAN).

    Unfortunately, the police and other security agencies appear helpless in the face of this major challenge to citizens’ liberty and national security, despite that   some states and the Federal Government have made kidnapping a capital offence, particularly where life is lost. Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Ebonyi and Rivers states have enacted laws prescribing the death penalty for kidnapping.

     

    How deterrent is the law?

    On October 18, 2013, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State signed a law that amended the previous Kidnapping Provision Law 2009. Among its many provisions, the law states that: “Any premises where victims of kidnapping were held would be demolished.”

    The new enactments are in addition to existing provisions in the Terrorism Prevention Act, the Criminal Code   and Penal Code.

    Section 364 of the Criminal Code provides that: Any person who unlawfully imprisons any person, and takes him out of Nigeria, without his consent; or unlawfully imprisons any person within Nigeria in such a manner as to prevent him from applying to a court for his release or from disclosing to any other person the place where he is imprisoned, or in such a manner as to prevent any person entitled to have access to him from discovering the place where he is imprisoned; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for ten years.

    Section 271 of the Penal Code provides that:  Whoever takes or entices any person, under 14 years of age (if a male) or under 16 years of age (if a female), or any person of unsound mind out of the keeping of the lawful guardian of such person without the consent of such guardian or conveys any such person beyond the limits of Northern Nigeria without the consent of someone legally authorised to consent to such removal, is said to kidnap such person.”

    It equally provides in Section 273 that:  Whoever kidnaps or abducts any person shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine.”

    The law also provides in Section 274 that: Whoever kidnaps or abducts any person in order that such person may be killed or may be so disposed of as to be put in danger of being killed, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years and shall also be liable to fine.”

     

    Why kidnapping is on the rise

    Despite the legislations and measures purportedly put in place by relevant security agencies, the rate of kidnapping appears to be on the increase in the country, with kidnappers going about their trade with ease.

    In most cases of kidnaping, the culprits are hardly apprehended, prosecuted and convicted in accordance with the law. The only known pending trial of individuals linked with major kidnap cases is that involving Kelvin Onorah Eziegbe, Frank Auekor and Michael Omonigho. They are accused of masterminding the kidnap of Ozekhome and some other prominent Nigerians, and are being tried on a 14-count charge before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    The preponderance of opinions is to the effect that the blame is attributable to three major sources. First, is the overwhelming failure of government at all levels to preserve core societal values of integrity and respect for law and order, and preserve the people’s goals and interests. Second, is the creation and sustenance of a faulty unitary security architecture in a federal democracy, and third, a faulty criminal justice system with emphasis on punishment as a sole deterrent measure.

    Observers argued that where the majority of the citizenry is denied access to the basic needs of life; law enforcement mechanisms are weak, compromised and easily amenable to manipulation by the wealthy few, and the criminal justice system emphasises punishment as against rehabilitation and reformation with the aim of socialising the citizenry away from criminality, impunity and criminality become a common feature of daily existence.

    They argued that the body language and conduct of incumbent administrations at all strata of governance in the country have equally served not as deterrence, but help to nurture the culture of impunity and criminality.

    Critics contend that the prevailing massive youth unemployment, the growing disregard for societal values and disdain  for the supremacy of the  law have not only helped to promote the increasing resort to self-help, they have greatly aided  the nation’s progressive regression to the Hobbesian state of nature.

    They noted that in the country, today, might is right, arbitrariness and misnomer are becoming the norm, with scant regard for law and order, and  the supreme doctrine of the rule of law. The fulcrum of every democracy has effectively been shoved to the back seat of societal relevance.

    To reverse this, they suggested that the government must first evolve socio-economic policies targeted at halting the progressive decrease in state capacity to guarantee the people’s socio-economic rights and generally improve their well-being.

    Such policies, they argued, should be fuelled solely by the need to promote general prosperity and employment, and the creation of an enabling social economic environment to serve as a catalyst for the generation of wealth for all citizens in the private sector.

    Observers also suggested a holistic review of the nation’s security architecture to de-emphasise the centralised control and management inherited from the military. They argued that since most crimes, kidnapping inclusive, are localised problems, there is the need for a localised response by state and local governments, which could only be complemented by federal interventions where necessary.

    There is also the argument that the resort by most states to the ancient Hebrew law of kidnapping as provided in Exodus chapter 21 verse 16 that: “Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death,” is a cruel and unusual punishment for a crime that is a reflection of the society, where the elite and those in government do not reward hard work, but pay lip service to corruption, abuse of office and other acts of impunity.

    They contended that rather than emphasise harsh punishment, the state and managers of its criminal justice system should devise ways to mitigate the people’s propensity for crimes and ethical violations.

     

    Lawyers’ views

    Lawyers, who spoke were equally of the view that the problem did not stem from the paucity or inadequacy of extant laws, but the inherent challenges in the society, which include the failure of security measures.

    The NBA President, Augustine Alegeh (SAN), while reacting to his predecessor’s kidnap, reminded the Federal Government that it has failed to effectively discharge its major role of adequately safeguarding the people’s lives and property.

    He urged the government “to step up efforts to fulfil its primary constitutional role of providing for the welfare and security of all Nigerians.”

    Joseph Nwobike (SAN) observed that the failure of the government to adequately protect the people and secure their rights to personal liberty is “a sad one and despicable. It is bad for this country and ominous for democracy. It is even challenging to the legal profession.”

    Rights activist Femi Falana (SAN), who also put the blame on the failure of the government to secure the people, urged the NBA to sue with a view to compelling the Federal Government to refund any ransom paid for the release of any abducted persons.

    “More importantly, the NBA should embark on urgent measures designed to compel the Federal Government to actualise Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which stipulates that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

    Dr Abdullahi Utman observed that kidnapping and other vices result from the failure of the Nigerian state to provide for the people as is the case in every sane society.

    “The Nigerian State lost the moral authority to socialise the people away from criminality and deviant behaviour through law enforcement.

    “The only means by which the citizenry can be socialised away from criminality to having greater stake in conformity is for the state to give effect to those rights as contained in our core values and which relate to the citizenry.

    “Those core values, which include the promotion of prosperity and employment, protection of socio-economic rights, the rule of law, good governance, human liberty and democracy, must form the core of our national security policy,” Utman said.

    Fredrick Chukwuma argued that the prevalence of kidnapping in the country should not be treated within the context of the abduction of some prominent lawyers alone.

    “We should see it as a societal vice, which is fuelled by the failure of the leadership to effectively police the society and provide the people with the basic needs of life. I do not think the laws are inadequate. In fact, we have too many laws on this crime. The problem is, as most of your respondents have said, a reflection of the failure of law and order in the larger society.

    “We just need a few reasonable leaders, who are able to lead by example and uphold the core societal values of integrity, respect for law and order and the supremacy of the law. With that, majority of the nation’s problem would have been solved,” Chukwuma said.

    The NBA Ikeja Branch urged security agencies to do all within their power to secure Wali’s release.

    Its chairman, Yinka Farounbi said they were  highly disturbed and worried by the sad news of the kidnap Wali.

    “This is one kidnap  too many and we call on all peace-loving Nigerians to rise and condemn it in very strong terms,” it said, adding: “Wali is a peaceful gentleman to the core.

    “We therefore call on his captors to please immediately release him unconditionally and unharmed,” he said.

    Farounbi urged all the security agencies, particularly in Rivers State and its environs, to step up their security systems with the view of getting the former NBA President released without any further delay.

    He said this latest kidnap has cast another doubt on the constitutional provision of the fundamental duty and responsibility of the government to protect the lives and property of it citizens.

    “We cannot afford the luxury of seeing our citizens kidnapped on a daily basis and the government will pretend that all is well.

    “We do not want to believe that the government has surrendered to the kidnappers and other criminals. There is no doubt that our nation is facing enormous security challenges and our police in particular seem to be overwhelmed.

    “We, therefore, join other patriotic Nigerians in calling for the creation of state police now. Recent security lapses all over the country makes the need for state police to be urgent and desirable more than ever before,” it stated

    Formerlegal adviser of the NBA Mr. Victor Nwaugo said: “This is the time for his friends and well wishers to  rally round to make sure that he is released unharmed; his kidnappers arrested,  arraigned and prosecuted. After all, he has contributed his quota to national development.”

    Former Financial Secretary of the NBA Mr. Marc Enamhe said: “ It is highly condemnable for any Nigerian to be kidnapped in his state, a man’s home is his safe haven, where he knows how to move and how not to move. For this to happen to our former President in Port Harcourt shows that people have not learnt from experience. Since the kidnappers have not established contact with the Wali family, we cannot actually identify their purpose now. We only pray that they release him in good health and sound mind.”

    Abuja-based lawyer and chairman of the Abuja chapter of Labour Party Mr. Felix Ashimole said: “ I join NBA President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) to condemn the kidnap of our former President, Okey Wali (SAN). Let us continue to pray for his safe release.”

     

    Who will be next?

    Society activist and constitutional lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said: “ It is most shocking and heart rending to hear that Okey Wali, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has been kidnapped by unknown hoodlums. This is certainly the last proverbial straw that has broken the carmel’s back. To kidnap Okey Wali has introduced a new dimension, a novelty to this dastardly merchantilistic trade in people’s blood, lives,  destiny and liberty, by societal misfits. News have it that it was done about 200 metres from his residential gate at about 9:00pm on Saturday. That means the kidnappers must have laid ambush for him. Where were the security agents, such as policemen and members of the Civil Defence Corps, who ought to patrol streets?”

    “The Nigerian nation is clearly under great, multi-dimensional siege – siege from ritualists, siege from Boko Haram, siege from political buccaneers, siege from legislative rascality, siege from executive lawlessness, siege from judicial tyranny, siege from leadership inertia, siege from civil society compromise, siege from all of us, who see nothing, say nothing and do nothing! Okey Wali’s kidnap is totally condemnable in the strongest words possible, for the simple reason that he is a peace-loving, very humble and God-fearing Nigerian, who led the NBA, the biggest civil society umbrella organisation in Nigeria, for two good years, without any blemish, charge of corruption, or embezzlement of public funds against him. To Kidnap Okey tantamounts, therefore, to kidnapping the entire collective quintessence and conscience of all Nigerian lawyers, and. therefore, of the totality of the civil society.

    “As one who went through a most horrific and spine-chilling experience in kidnappers’ dungeon for three harrowing weeks of near death, I can feel it, see it, smell it, taste it and empathise with it. The irony is that it was Okey as NBA President, who broke the news of my August 23, 2013 kidnap to the NBA AGM in Calabar, with the entire body of lawyers led by him, calling for my immediate and unconditional release.

    “Last year, it was me. Today, it is Okey’s turn. Who will be next? No one knows. No one can conjecture. The Federal Government, Rivers State and neighbouring state governments, the IGP, DG, SSS and the entire security aparatus in this country should immediately rise up and deliver OkeyWali, safe, hale and hearty, to his family and Nigeria. There must be no excuses, no foot dragging and no dilly-dallying.

    “I appeal to Okey’s kidnappers to, please, release, unhurt and unharmed, this great patriot, this unassuming Nigerian, who means well for all, including the poor peasants of this country. He has contributed immensely to the development of law, human rights and to the Nigerian nation. Let not your insatiable thirst for money and earthly things push you to hurt him. I beg you all, in the name of Almighty God.

    Former Chairman, NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), said: “We condemn in very strong terms the abduction of Okey Wali (SAN), the 26th president of the NBA. Mr Okey Wali stood firmly for the enthronement of the rule of law, democracy, equity, justice and  fair play in our body polity. He never failed to speak out whenever the rights of the common man were in jeopardy.

    “We urge  his abductors to release him unconditionally to reunite with his family and community. Time has come when the government and all other stakeholders must do more to secure the lives & liberty of citizens of this country; otherwise, a time will come when nobody will walk on the streets of this  nation. May such a day never come.”

     

  • Important timeline of Chibok girls’ abduction

    Important timeline of Chibok girls’ abduction

    April 14: The Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok reopened for exams.  Armed men in Nigerian military uniform stormed into the school at night, telling the girls they would take them to safety.  The students soon realized the men were not real soldiers; they were actually from Boko Haram, a terrorist group based in northeastern of Nigeria whose name figuratively means “Western education is a sin”.

    April 16: The government of Borno state announce a reward of $300,000 for information leading to the rescue of the school girls. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan calls a National Security Council meeting in Abuja to review security measures to determine the best way forward. The Nigerian military issued a statement that almost all of the girls had been freed. The next day, the military retracted their claim.

    April 24: Parents of the missing girls and other Nigerians take to social media to call the attention of the international community to their plight and to put pressure on the Nigerian government to take action. Ibrahim M. Abdullahi, a lawyer in Abuja, sends the first tweet using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

    April 30: The “Million-Woman March, held in Abuja, gathers about 500 people who were mostly women dressed in red. They marched to the National Assembly and delivered a letter,  complaining that the government was not doing enough to ensure the release of the girls.

    May 2: President Goodluck Jonathan announces a “fact-finding committee” to help in the search of the girls. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Washington “will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and hold the perpetrators to justice. That is our responsibility and the world’s responsibility.”

    May 5: In a video statement, Boko Haram leader acknowledges that his group was responsible for the kidnapping of the schoolgirls. He declares the students “will remain slaves with us”. The White House confirms that the United States is helping Nigeria in the quest to find and free the abducted schoolgirls.  There is some speculation that the girls may have been moved into nearby countries.

    May 7: Boko Haram attacks the Nigerian village of Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon. Over 300 people are killed in the attack. In Paris, French president François Hollande offers Nigeria a “special team” to look for the girls and Britain says it will send a team of experts to Nigeria to help with the crisis. China’s Premier Li Keqiang, on a visit to Abuja, promises that his country will make any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services available to Nigeria’s security agencies.

    May 12: In a new Boko Haram video, the leader of the group Abubakar Shekau claims to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls. The girls say they have converted to Islam and the terrorist group declares they will release the schoolgirls in exchange for all imprisoned militants.

    May 17: United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, President Goodluck Jonathan and French President, François Hollande are among attendees of a summit in Paris on the growing threat of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. William Hague offered Nigeria assistance in the form of military advisors, but has insisted that the country must take its security responsibility seriously in the face of ongoing attacks from Boko Haram.

    May 21: Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US Professor Ade Adefuye responds to disparaging remarks made by Senator McCain at a meeting in Washington DC. He said the Nigerian government was doing everything possible to secure the safe release of the Girls and assured that #our girls will be back.

    May 27: The military says it knows where the girls abducted by Boko Haram are, but ruled out using force to rescue them.  Nigeria’s president was sent a new video of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in which they plead with him to spare their lives through a prisoner swap. The Nigerian government has denied that any deal was on the table, and has so far neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the video.

    July 12: Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai visits Abuja and meets, first with five of the girls who escaped (July 13), and then with the President (July 14).

    July 15: Jonathan’s planned meeting fails to hold as the parents reportedly cancel it the very last moment. Goodluck Jonathan blames #BringBackOurGirls campaigners for whisking away the parents who were to visit him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    July 16: Parents explain that they did not shun the meeting with President intentionally, but were unaware of it saying they received the invitation already on the day of the visit scheduled by Jonathan.

    July 17: Presidency sends another letter to the girls’ parents and the event gets rescheduled to the next week.

    July 22: Jonathan meets with the parents of the Chibok girls at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

  • ‘Chibok girls’ abduction sad and sensational‘

    ‘Chibok girls’ abduction sad and sensational‘

    As Bishop of Oyo Diocese, located hundreds of kilometres from North Eastern Nigeria, the epicentre of the current Boko Haram terrorist activities, my analysis of the situation in Nigeria is bound to be somewhat detached. I submit these views however for two particular reasons. First, as Chairman of the Communications Apostolate for the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria I often interact with the Bishops who live on the frontline areas of the insurgence on a daily basis and have a fair idea of their pains. Secondly, in Oyo diocese Catholics coexist with a very large population of Muslims. We are only about 45,000 Catholics among about 1million Muslims with whom we thankfully enjoy cordial coexistence. This consists of occasional exchange of ideas, gifts and visits, intermarriages and mutual interaction in each other’s social events. The Boko Haram insurgency and the kidnap of the Chibok girls have often been issues of discussion between me and some Muslim leaders. The murderous activities of the group are as alien to some of the Muslim leaders as they are to me.

    Nigeria’s woes have been coming for some time –a combination of misuse of power, resources and capacities for decades past and the near total disregard for the rule of law, provoking layers of unreserved resentments in the past in accumulated suffering and bewilderment in the nation. The insurgency which at this moment strangulates the country and has bloodied its face at home and in the international community is actually not the result of a sudden explosion of conflict and aggression. It is the outcome of many warning signs which had been neglected by the authorities at a time in which it was widely believed, prompt action could have been taken to salvage the situation. The betrayal of the Nigerian nation does seem to have been carried out with considerable help from some segments of the international community and powers.

    Importation of arms into the country, some of which were occasionally intercepted, had been a source of worry for many people and for a number of years, provoking sufficient outcry for groups and individuals. There were strong allegations about some countries even using Nigeria as a safe passageway for the arms trade. Even the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) spoke out on the issue at national and regional levels. Scant attention was paid to those calls and no credible arrests were ever made.

    The same can be said for the problem of unemployment. The teeming unemployed and unemployable population in the North of Nigeria which has been a perennial problem in the nation has often brought government to raise questionable policies and mindboggling sums of money ostensibly to tackle the problem. Such effort has often been suffocated by corruption, political patronage and bad management with little result and much resentment from other parts of Nigeria having other no less challenging problems but getting much less attention. The same kind of resentment is incubated all over the country owing to unresolved issues and problems.

    The general opinion among Christians in the North is that the Boko Haram insurgency is a child of powerful northern politicians who had armed some young thugs for their selfish interest. These then got radicalized and have run amok killing anyone who tickles their fancy going beyond even the control of their originators. It has however become very clear that what Nigeria is facing in the insurgency is, more than just a bunch of thugs, but a well-trained army of criminals who are able to disconcert and demoralise even the Nigerian army by the strategy of their warfare and their weaponry.

    Boko Haram has largely targeted Christians, Christian institutions and churches over a period of time. This may be true but the entire movement has also gathered a lot of moss along the way destroying government structures, facilities and wiping out entire villages. There is talk these days about political, religious, economic and other versions of Boko Haram suggesting the differing interests which might hide under Boko Haram to gain mileage in a brutal way. This does not diminish the heavy losses which Christians are suffering. In Maiduguri Diocese alone for example, over 40 churches, priests’ residences and church structures have been totally destroyed with the dead Catholic members alone put at over 400. Thousands are injured and displaced, physically and emotionally as well.

    The sad and sensational abduction of nearly 300 girls from Chibok gone for over 100 days now stands as a tragic icon of lawlessness and insecurity in North Eastern Nigeria. More people have been abducted and kidnapped by Boko Haram and others since. The general impression is that the group is heavily sponsored from outside the country and enjoys sympathy and sponsorship even among people in government and the security agencies. This much has unfortunately been admitted even by government officials in Nigeria. Had it not been so Nigerians question the possibility of anyone abducting such a large number of people, with no one seeing or noticing a thing with the security agencies totally helpless. Neither did the sluggish and contradictory responses from government quarters help matters.

    In other words it has become extremely difficult if not impossible to differentiate what interests are really being served or targeted by the attacks. It is so bad that two recent bomb blasts in the city of Kaduna were allegedly targeted at a popular Islamic cleric and a main opposition party leader who also is a Muslim, fortunately without success. Muslim leaders have been brutally slaughtered and quite a number of Catholics would swear that there are periods of the insurgency when far more Muslims are slaughtered than are Christians. Indeed to most Catholics what does it really matter what the religion of those who died may be? Bombs thrown in public places really do not distinguish who gets killed nor what religion or tribe gets affected. The eloquent testimony of John Cardinal Onayekan of Abuja in forging peaceful coexistence and that of the Archbishop of Jos and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Most Reverend Ignatius Ayau Kaigama deserves attention. The latter has set up a programme to cater for Muslim and Christian young people so that they can relate and learn together as to reduce the rancor, mutual suspicion and vengefulness among them.

    The endemic corruption in Nigeria is the hydra headed monster that fuels the insurgency most. Corruption has been described in many terms in Nigeria as extreme, endemic, institutional and even pervasive. One would be at pains to successfully discount any of these ideas. The frustration and resentment which this has generated has turned many into willing elements for any kind of mischief as a way of getting back at the system and those who operate it in Nigeria. Nigeria’s leadership seems to have perfected the art of evasiveness in addressing the issues and playing the victim whenever dissenting voices are raised.

    However, the times do not allow for mudslinging or trading of blames. They call for constructive, inspirational criticism and action to give hope to the youth for they must be given the motivation to refuse to be conquered by despair. The positive side to the tragedy of the insurgency, if it can be so stated, is that it has increased the solidarity/charity character of the Nigerian Catholic Church. Many dioceses have taken up the support for the affected places and families in a way that could hardly be imagined before.

    I am convinced that there are forces and groups trying to make hay in this turbulence to give religion a bad name. The impression being created often is that Christianity is under persecution in Nigeria but there is no such official position. Many people are getting the message that religion itself is a problem and a cause of conflict. Given the deep religious character of African communities this is a very dangerous impression. It is important to highlight more and more the good that religion and religious people have done and continue to do in the daily life of people, in conflict resolution, development and nation building. This is often missing in the media and public discourse.  Coming from my part of Nigeria there have always been deep relationships between Muslims and Christians and adherents of other religions with intermarriages and co-habitations quite commonplace. I myself have majority of my household as Muslims and most of our schools have a majority of Muslim children and students in them.

    It is important to enlist as many people as possible behind the effort to bring about peace and inspire them to be more vocal and direct about those efforts. Creating a better society can also be a game of numbers. Similarly the cultural strength of African communities in accommodating different religious perspectives must be brought to the fore and promoted. This will require planning, commitment and resources. The media generally cannot claim to be contributing to world development and peace without prioritizing this dimension of their work.

    While attention is focused on the plight of the Chibok girls who have been abducted perhaps just as much attention should be given to the plight of hundreds of thousands of Nigerian youths who will never get an education or of thousands of others who could never be sure when they begin or end their educational programmes. Their lives have somewhat been abducted as well by the damage that has been inflicted on the country through corruption and bad leadership. The present administration cannot be held responsible for all the mess but it must be held responsible for not courageously confronting the cankerworm of corruption even in spite of its modest achievements.

    It is my opinion that the entire Nigerian problem is about power and the politics of personalities currently being played out in the country. Such tyrants must be stopped in their careless wastage of human lives. There seems to be much hypocrisy in the concern of the international community in helping to solve the problem so far as has been in many problems of conflict in Africa. How come no one is asking where all the arms used for the killing and destruction in Africa and in Nigeria in particular, come from? Who is buying and selling them and who really is benefitting from the growing destabilisation of Nigeria and of Africa at large. And is it really impossible to trace the source of funding for Boko Haram and other insurgencies and wars in Africa, in such a forensically efficient world? These are questions that leave a lot of weight on the consciences of the Western countries who dispose of the most modern means of development and of destruction. Finding answers and acting positively is the only way to rouse the ailing Nigerian giant.