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Tag: BBOG

  • BBOG demands urgency in release of remaining Chibokgirls

    BBOG demands urgency in release of remaining Chibokgirls

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy group have demanded urgency in the release of the remaining Chibok schoolgirls..

    The group also reminded the government of the promise it made10 weeks ago of its willingness to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of 83 more Chibok girls after the return of the 21 girls.

    #BBOG which accused the Federal Government of absolute silence since its promise, in a letter signed by leaders of the group Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, #BBOG said the group would  be embarking on a Global week of Action to compel further action towards the release of the remaining 195 girls.

    They stated, “With the 1000th day since the Chibok Girls abductions, it may come as no surprise that we will be embarking on a Global Week of Action to compel further action towards the release of our 195 girls.

    “It should be remembered that when the 21 Chibok girls returned 10 weeks ago, the Nigerian government said that it understood that there were 83 more girls that Boko Haram was prepared to negotiate over and that the government itself was willing to negotiate.

    “This was followed with absolute silence which was only broken by the announcement of Rakiya Abubakar’s recovery. It is our desire that the release of all our remaining Chibok girls be treated with the urgency that the situation of a prolonged abduction of young schoolgirls demands.”

  • Rescued girl is no 49 on list – #BBOG

    Rescued girl is no 49 on list – #BBOG

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy have said the newly rescued Chibok girl, Rakiya Abubakar Gali, is number 49 on their list.

    #BBOG confirmed that the girl who was rescued on Thursday alongside her six- month old baby is one of the remaining 196 Chibok girls still in Boko Haram captivity.

    The group’s spokesperson, Sesugh Akume, said “Rakiya Abubakar Gali is #49 on our list.”

  • #BBOG to mark Chibok schoolgirls 1000 days with march on Villa

    #BBOG to mark Chibok schoolgirls 1000 days with march on Villa

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy have planned a series of protests including a march on the Presidential Villa in Abuja, to mark the Chibok schoolgirls’ 1000 days in captivity.
    The March which is part of the #Day 1000 Global week of action will commence on January 8 and end on January 14.
    A statement by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and Ms Aisha Yesufu, said they would present their disappointments before President Muhammadu Buhari.
    The marches will also include the advocacy for the Military, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), corruption, endangered education etc.
    The statement said: “On Sunday 8 January 2017, it will be #Day1000 since 276 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted in their school by terrorists on the night of 14-15 April 2014. A total of 57 escaped within days of the abduction, 219 were taken to captivity. In 2016, 2 escaped at various times and 21 returned. At present, 196 Chibok girls remain missing today for 995 days. This Sunday 8 January, will be their 1000th day in captivity, in the hands of terrorists.
    “Ten weeks ago when the 21 Chibok girls returned, the Nigerian government said they were having discussions and that “soon” 83 more would return. Nothing has been said of them since then. The title of our #Day500 statement which was as far back as 27 August 2015 was “500 days is too long”. It is most unfortunate that another 500 days on, we are still on the same matter with more than 89 per cent of the abducted girls still left by the government of Nigeria with terrorists.
    “It would be recalled that in August – September 2016, when there was unnerving quiet by the Federal Government in the wake of the release of our Chibok Girls’ “Plea-for-Rescue” video, our movement engaged in a series of activities to compel necessary action and communication.
    “Our movement is justifiably worried that the Nigerian government has once again relapsed to the same complacency, lethargy, and inertia that has been recurrent on this tragedy. What else explains the fact that despite all assurances that another 83 of our Chibok girls were under negotiation for release “soonest” there has been no further communication on the status of their release? We are doubly disappointed that the Federal Government contradicted itself by the recent declaration and celebration of capture of Sambisa Forest as the end of the war. This action is contrary to the pledge that the President and the military made repeatedly made on several occasions that they would not declare victory without the rescue of our Chibok girls and all other abducted victims of terrorist abduction.
    “With no additional rescue of any of our Chibok girls since 13 October 2016, what conclusion should parents, the Chibok community, our movement, the Nigerian public and the world at large draw from the fact that our President and military are celebrating “the capture of Sambisa ‘Camp Zero’”, the same stronghold in which it stated the girls were held and the 21 schoolgirls were released from in October?

  • #BBOG confirms Chibok girl was abducted with twin sister

    #BBOG confirms Chibok girl was abducted with twin sister

    The #BringBackOur-Girls (#BBOG) group confirmed yesterday that Maryam Ali Maiyanga who is the latest Chibok schoolgirl to regain freedom from Boko Haram was indeed kidnapped along with her twin sister.

    Maryam is number 198 on the list of the kidnapped girls while her twin sister, Halima is 197.

    They are both from Askira Uba.

    The #BBOG in a statement  praised the military for its gallantry in the anti-Boko Haram battle   and  sympathised with the Nigerian Army on the death of the Commanding Officer of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammed Abu Ali and four other officers.

    It applauded the federal government, the military and other security formations “working day and night to rout the terrorists and rescue all Nigerians in captivity.”

  • #‎BBOG applauds Buhari, Military, others for Chibok girls release

    …We have been vindicated, says #BBOG

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) group have expressed excitement over the release of twenty one Chibok girls.

    The group which congratulates the Buhari led Federal Government, Soldiers on the battle line and international negotiators for securing their release, state that they will continue to make demands for the release of the remaining 197 girls.

    In a press statement signed by leaders of the group, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, #BBOG states that the movement is very supportive of an immediate commencement of the program for the physical, mental, emotional and social recovery process of our released 21 girls.

    They stated, “We are extremely delighted and welcome the news of the release of 21 of our 218 #ChibokGirls who have been in Boko Haram captivity for 913 days. Our hope is renewed that our Government will fulfil the pledge it made to rescue all our #ChibokGirls as well as every other abducted citizen of our country. Now, we can continue to make our demand for the rescue of the remaining 197 #ChibokGirls with greater expectation of their quick return.

    “Kudos to our Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, our soldiers in the frontline of battle who daily sacrifice, the heads of the military and security establishment for today’s remarkable development. We also thank the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss government and all negotiators involved in securing the release.

    “We wish to again recommend the use of the instrument of Verification, Authentication and Rehabilitation System (VARS) which our movement developed and had twice at our meeting with our President offered for Federal Government use. VARS is a process that can help achieve a most effective and credible identification, rehabilitation (physical and psychosocial), resettlement and reintegration of our released girls in a systematic and structured manner.

    “Our movement is very supportive of an immediate commencement of the program for the physical, mental, emotional and social recovery process of our released 21 girls and stand ready to support the Federal and Borno State Government in every relevant respect.

    “Following this development, we trust that our government will continue to work to keep the safety, security, and well-being of the other girls a high priority. We further urge the international community to continue to support our government’s effort to rescue all other abducted Nigerians, so that parents, the Chibok community, the nation, and the world can finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all.”

    Meanwhile, member of the group, Fatima Abba-Kaka has stated that the group has been vindicated from those who doubted them and the sincerity of the Chibok girls abduction.

    Abba-Kaka said, “those that doubted us and those that said they did not exist, God has vindicated us, even when my President said he had no credible intelligence, now I can understand why he said it, because he did not want us to let go and now he has done it and Nigerians that doubted that the girls where taken, you know God is almighty and for everything we say God and God has vindicated us, we will keep on standing, we will keep on demanding until the last girl comes out, this has just re-energised us.”

  • BBOG to mark Chibok Girls’ 900th Day in Boko Haram captivity

    Next Friday (September 30) would be the 900th day since the abduction of Chibok girls and the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) movement plans to mark the unfortunate milestone with a World Press Conference.

    According to the co-coordinators of BBOG, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili and Hajia Aisha Yusuf, the focus of the group is for the sustenance of global interest in the plight of about 214 girls who were abducted from their school hostel by insurgents.

    “Critical areas to be covered during the press conference include a chronicle of events and messages, our body of demands and a formal response to the Federal Government’s Press Briefing of Friday, September 16th, 2016.

    “We call on all citizens and our friends in the media, from within Nigeria and across the world, to join us,” they stated in Abuja on Friday evening.

    The BBOG movement has steadfastly pursued a relentless demand for emphatic action by Federal Government towards rescuing the girls.

    Boko Haram insurgents who abducted the girls and the nation’s security agencies have been in a game of wits in truncated negotiations that is yet to reach a conclusion despite citizens’ prolonged expectations.

  • BBOG seeks disciplinary action against IGP

    BBOG seeks disciplinary action against IGP

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take disciplinary action against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, and two officers for violating their individual and collective rights.

    BBOG accused the IGP of falsely declaring their peaceful advocacy as a “security threat” that “must not trample on other peoples’ rights through over-dramatisation of emotions, self-serving propaganda and disrespect of public (office) holders”.

    They also accused the IGP of attempting to cause disaffection between the group and fellow Nigerians without any evidence to back his claims.

    BBOG made the demands yesterday at a news conference in Abuja. A member of the group, Veronica Bakam, read the statement signed by leaders of the group, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu.

    The group demanded that IGP Idris tender an unreserved apology to them for orchestrating a hate campaign and disseminating false information against them, with the intention of tarnishing the reputation of their movement.

    The statement reads: “Following a week of zero communication and inaction by the President, our movement embarked on a series of strategic engagements to compel decisive action to BringBackOurGirls. Top on this was the communication of a list of six demands and a commitment to re-engage the President through a protest march to the State House after every three working days.

    “The demands were:

    • That the President swiftly made a firm decision for the immediate rescue of our girls based on the three available options. 1. Military operation. 2. Negotiation with the terrorists. 3. Combination of 1 and 2. With the information available, the President must pursue the lowest risk option of these three.

    “• That the President addressed Nigerians on his Rescue Plan and Timelines of our #ChibokGirls TODAY.

    “• That the President constituted a #ChibokGirls Rescue Operation Monitoring Team, made up of representatives of the Federal Government, parents of Chibok Girls, KADA community and #BringBackOurGirls. This multi-stakeholders’ platform acts as a transparent mechanism for feedback on evidence of Mr. President’s sustained action towards bringing back our ChibokGirls.

    “• That the President immediately presides over National Emergency in the Northeast Conference to articulate a cohesive response plan to the Humanitarian Crisis and designate a “Special Envoy” responsible for the inter-agency collaborative work required, as well as mobilise the private sector, Nigerian public, and the International Community.

    “• That the President directed the Attorney General and EFCC to set up Special Desk with the responsibility for fast-tracking trials of the Arms Procurement Fund and providing regular updates. We rejected any suspension or termination of any of the trials without reaching a legal conclusion.

    “• That the Chief Justice of the Federation prioritised the trials of all Counter-Insurgency related corruption cases. Cases should be placed on fast-track with no long adjournments.

    “In addition, we mobilised support for rescue efforts through engagements with embassies of the United Kingdom, France, Canada and the United States as well as European Union and Economic Community of West African States. Thesem, we believed, were necessary allies of our government due to the wealth of resources to be gained from sharing knowledge assets, security and intelligence infrastructure, as well as relevant experience.

    “While engagements with the diplomatic community were completely successful, our democratically elected President refused to grant us an audience. Despite three blockades at the access road to the State House, by the Nigeria Police, our resolve to communicate our demands never waivered.

    “Our reputation as a well-organised and disciplined citizens’ movement that strictly respects the constitution and the laws of the land was built over the last nearly 30 months of our advocacy for the abducted school girls.

    “Sadly, on Tuesday, September 6, 2016, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command displayed an unacceptable level of intolerance and blatant disregard for our constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of thought, conscience, association, peaceful assembly and movement. By unleashing a detachment of over a 100 anti-riot policemen on our civil movement and going further to attempt several cordons against our fourth march of the series, the Police ignored a judgement of a Federal High Court.

    “Furthermore, by falsely declaring our peaceful advocacy as a “security threat”, whose activities “must not trample on other peoples’ rights through over-dramatisation of emotions, self-serving propaganda and disrespect of public (office) holders”, the Inspector General of Police deliberately attempted to pitch us against fellow Nigerians without any evidence to back those claims.

    “In addition, we consider it injurious to our carefully built reputation as a global movement known for order, decency, civility, and discipline, whose model is often recommended by some of the world’s top-rated publications and researched by students of the world’s top universities at doctoral and post-doctoral levels.”

  • BBOG accuses govt of ascribing too much power to Boko Haram

    BBOG accuses govt of ascribing too much power to Boko Haram

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls   (BBOG) group have accused the Federal Government of ascribing too much power to Boko Haram.

    It accused the government of allowing them the leeway to determine the process for the swapping of the Chibok girls with the sect’s detainees.

    The group, which protested to the Aso Villa gate yesterday, after the expiration of their 72 hours deadline, said the protest was because there is no evidence of result- targeted action by the Federal Government.

    A statement by the group’s leader, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and Strategic Team leader Aisha Yesufu, reads: “Today marks our third attempt at engaging with our democratically elected President, in the last eight (8) days. It is also sixteen days since the ‘Plea-For-Rescue’ video was released by the terrorists, who still hold 218 of our Chibok girls hostage, 869 days after the abduction on April 14, 2014.

    “We are out again because no evidence of persuasive, deliberate and result- targeted action has been conveyed by our President and the Federal Government.

    “We must as always however first acknowledge the courage and gallantry of our soldiers in the frontlines, the Multinational Joint Task Force, and the Civilian JTF, and urge them to remain resilient in the face of attacks as these. Their labour and sacrifice shall never be in vain. We acknowledge the return of thousands of our fellow citizens who were never confirmed by the Federal Government to be missing but have since been rescued by our military.

    “We acknowledge that since our march of the 25th August 2016, a statement was made by Mr. President in far-away Kenya, on the side-lines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI). In the said statement as reported by the media, Mr. President suggested a willingness to swap our #ChibokGirls for Boko Haram fighters preferring that the terrorists engaged an international Non-Governmental Organisation in the intermediation process if they so wish.

    “We fail to understand why our Federal Government is giving so much powers to determine process and first mover actions to the terrorists. We have always maintained that the President has the powers to assemble all relevant intelligence assets required for determining the best action in terms of lowest risk option. Many countries with superior capabilities have indicated willingness to help our government gather security and intelligence assets on this and other related Northeast challenges.”

     

  • BBOG identifies girl in Boko Haram video as Dorcas Yakubu

    BBOG identifies girl in Boko Haram video as Dorcas Yakubu

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy yesterday identified the Chibok girl who spoke on behalf of her mates in the Boko Haram video as Dorcas Yakubu.

    Dorcas, who was abducted over two years ago with her school mates, was identified by a member of #BBOG and spokesperson of the Kibaku Area Development Association  (KADA) Dr. Allen Manaseh.

    This was in the presence of her parents in Abuja.

    The campaigners told reporters that the recognition of many of the girls leaves no room for doubt that they are the Chibok girls.

    In a statement signed by leaders of the group, former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, the #BBOG said: “After listening to the call of Dorcas Yakubu, we demand an immediate, transparent, action and results-oriented response plan by the government.

    “Today, 853 days since the abduction of our #ChibokGirls, we woke up to a video on the state of our girls. We are left with mixed feelings of grief and strengthened hope as the chilling words continue to sink in.

    They gave a direct translation of the Kibaku dialect spoken by the girl in the video as follows:

    “Our parents please exercise patience. We are suffering here. There is no kind of suffering we haven’t seen. Our sisters are injured; some have wounds on their heads and bodies.

    “Tell the government to give them their people so we can also come to be with you. We are all children and we don’t know what to do. The suffering is too much, please endeavour as we also have exercised patience.

    “There is nothing you, or we can do about this but to get their people back to them, so we can go home. Exercise patience as we also have endured.”

    The interpreter, Dr. Allen Manaseh, who is the Spokesman of the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA) in Abuja, identified the speaker as Dorcas Yakubu, whose parents Esther and Yakubu live in the Abuja area. They were present at the conference.

    Manaseh said: “Since we last met with the President in January, we have continued to call on him to be responsive to the needs of our Chibok parents, our movement, and the Global Community for timely updates on the rescue operation. In the aftermath of an earlier video, we repeatedly called for the Government to treat the information as the missing piece of “credible intelligence” it was seeking. Not even the return of Amina Ali a #ChibokGirl, inspired the sort of response we demanded.

    “After listening to the call of Dorcas Yakubu, we demand an immediate, transparent, action and results-oriented response plan by the Government. We state categorically that the excuse of a split within the terrorists’ ranks or a period of validation of the authenticity of their claims will not suffice this time. We shall press these demands with a march to the Villa in the next few days.

    “Nothing short of the Nigerian state being in contact with the parents, confirming identities of our girls, providing psychosocial support where necessary, and most importantly, articulating an action plan will be acceptable.

    “Today, 28 months since the abduction, we call on the Governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, China, Australia, Israel, agencies like the United Nations and African Union, and all who previously expressed intentions to support the rescue efforts, to reengage and adopt a strategic rescue position. As global citizens, this is the least our #ChibokGirls deserve.

    “We appeal to all citizens empathetic to the cause of our girls to hold them and their parents in prayers, and commit to joining our march to the Villa in the coming week. Our government, and the World, cannot continue to fail these innocent young women whose only crime is their decision to be educated. If we do, we would have failed to defend our civilization and shared humanity.”

     

  • #BBOG seeks update on Amina Ali

    #BBOG seeks update on Amina Ali

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy have called for an update from the Federal Government on the state of the rescued Chibok girl, Amina Ali.

    The group, which claimed that no member of the Chibok community had  been allowed access to Amina and her baby after she met with President Muhammadu Buhari, wanted to know how far the government had gone in fulfilling its promise of taking care of the rescued girl.

    #BBOG also urged the government to confirm to Nigerians that a thorough intelligence debriefing was conducted on the girl and the man accompanying her during the rescue, Mohammed Hayyatu.

    The group addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja on Day 800 of the Chibok girls’ abduction.

    In a statement by its spokesperson, Aisha Yesufu and former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, the group  admonished the government to transparently share with the public its programme of recovery for Amina.

    It said: “On May 18, 2016, our movement was elated at the rescue of Amina Ali as it rekindled the hope of all who have advocated for our schoolgirls that their rescue is possible. We recall that a number of promises were made at the reception held for Amima Ali and her family, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “The comforting word of the President was: ‘Although we cannot do anything to reverse the horrors of her past, the Federal Government can and will do everything possible to ensure that the rest of her life takes a completely different course’.

    “That promise set the standard of expectation for the rehabilitation, resettlement and reintegration of not only Amina Ali but also her peers and other abducted citizens once they are rescued from terrorists.

    “It is now more than one month since Ms. Ali was rescued and her avowed restoration process by the Federal Government, as pledged by the President, began. Having given reasonable length of time, our movement has a number of concerns regarding Amina Ali as well as the rest of our Chibok girls still in terrorists’ enclave.

    “Can the Federal Government respond to the dissatisfaction expressed by the Chibok community on the lack of access of their leaders to their daughter, Amina Ali, since she was rescued? The Federal Government has a duty to do so!”