The Nation Newspaper

Tag: #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG)

  • #BBOG demands National Missing Persons Register at Chibok girls’ 5th anniversary

    The #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) movement on Friday in Lagos renewed its call for the Federal Government to launch a National Missing Persons Register.

    It made this demand at the commencement of a three-day global event to mark the 5th anniversary of the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction by terrorist group Boko Haram.

    The advocacy group is marking the anniversary simultaneously in Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria, London in the United Kingdom as well as New York and Washington DC in America.

    The girls – 276 of them – were kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, on the night of April 14, 2014, making Sunday, April 14 the event’s 5th anniversary.

    112 of the girls are yet to be captured, while others, including Leah Sharibu from Dapchi in Yobe State, are also being held captive.

    Tens of BBOG members kicked off the anniversary programme with an advocacy march from the Falomo Roundabout in Ikoyi through Osborne Road to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office and back.

    The team, including a former president of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) Ayo Obe and executive director for Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Yemi Adamolekun, among others, presented their demands to UNICEF via a letter.

    Read Also: Shettima to Jonathan: you lied on Chibok girls

    It said it would not relent in its advocacy “and strident demands for the rescue of our school children and fellow citizens from captivity.

    “We also demand justice for the slain; resettlement and rehabilitation for people displaced by the violence; safe schools; and the launch of the National Missing Persons Register.”

    #BBOG reminded UNICEF of its focus on promoting the rights of children in Nigeria and asked that it “should join us in the call on national, regional and global influencers and authorities to support and pressure the Nigerian government to bring the nightmare of school abductions, violent extremism and insecurity to an end.

    “Beyond your work as an organization, you have also been a victim as your employee has been in captivity for over 14 months.”

    The anniversary programme continues today with BBOG sit outs at Falomo Roundabout and at 64, Adewale Adenuga Street, Orilowo Bus stop via Binta International School, Ejigbo, Lagos.

    The activities will come to a climax tomorrow, April 14 with an interfaith vigil at Falomo Roundabout, Ikoyi between 5pm and 7pm.

    Tomorrow in London, a panel of discussants will consider the topic, #BlackLivesMatter and the #BringBackOurGirls movement: Online struggle for offline justice.

    This will hold between 4pm and 7pm at The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0BL.

    In New York, the event will be marked with an overnight vigil at the Nigerian Embassy from 10pm on Sunday, April 14 and 10am on Monday, April 15.

  • Osinbajo to #BBOG: More Chibok girls to return soon

    Osinbajo to #BBOG: More Chibok girls to return soon

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has assured members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy that more or all of the Chibok school girls will be rescued soon.

    The acting President also informed the group that he has been meeting with security chiefs daily and making contacts with hostage negotiators across the world.

    Osinbajo who was represented by his Special Adviser on political matters Babafemi Ojudu made the revelation Tuesday in Abuja, while addressing members of the #BBOG.

    He added that the reason why the public is not being made aware of the negotiations being made is for security reasons.

    His words, “I have been asked by the acting President to welcome the group, the acting President would have received the group personally but he had to receive the President of Ghana.

    “I’ve been asked to assure you of the support of the government in your agitation for the return of all the girls that are still being held by terrorists in the north east.

    “On the issue of the Police women being held and the girls, the acting President has been meeting on a daily basis with the security chiefs, making contacts with negotiators across the world who have helped in the past to help in the negotiation for the release of others, we have not for any moment forgotten the girls who could be any of our children.

    “In the last two weeks, the acting President has helped coordinate the efforts at freeing the kidnapped boys in Lagos, he called on the deputy governors of Ondo and Delta states and other security operatives to leave their jobs and go and search for the pupils and when they were rescued, he was the first person to be called.

    “He said that the fact that we are not coming out to say what is being done is strategic and for security reasons negotiations are going on, efforts are being made and intelligence being gathered very soon more of the girls if not all will be brought back to their parents safely.”

    Leader of the #BBOG and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili urged the Federal Government to send a high powered delegation to the parents of the remaining Chibok girls to assure them that the FG is not sleeping.

    She said, “We want our government to spare no effort in immediately securing the release of the remaining Chibok girls, we want all the 113 girls to be brought back.

    “We need the Federal Government to immediately send a high powered delegation to the parents of the remaining Chibok girls, it is not right that their daughters are still with Boko Haram 1205 days after they were abducted and nothing has been done concerning their own state of distraught. When the 82 girls were rescued, it presented the opportunity for the Federal government to engage with those whose children are not back, it is time to go and visit them and the visit must be a high powered delegation visit to assure them that the Federal Government (FG) is not sleeping on the will concerning their own daughters.

    “We must end the empathy deficit approach in our country, we must learn to stay with those who face tragic circumstances, managing the tragedy on the state of our Chibok girls parents is an important way for the government to signal citizens that it cared about the dignity of the human life.

    “We ask the government to immediately provide accurate data and details of the missing police women and the lecturers and staff of the University of Maiduguri and any other one that is known to be abducted or killed in the cause of that mission, we want it immediately, the nation cannot be in the dark when thugs happen to citizens.

    “We ask that the FG would immediately invite the families of the victims pf the police abduction as well as the University of Maiduguri abduction, the Federal Government must invite them and have a meeting with them in order to give them insider details that it may not be able to share with the public, that is the way that government properly constituted behave, it’s not enough to say you are doing something, it’s important to demonstrate that you actually care about.

    “We want the FG to set up the structured system of public reporting on the specific abduction issues, of reporting progress made, the government cannot treat citizens as if they have no right to know, we have the constitutional right to know, we ask that the structured system be for the overall counter insurgency efforts. Let there be no falsehood or manipulation of the war, let there be truth.”

     

  • Photos: #BringBackOurGirls Lecture

    A Chibok mother being consoled
    A mother being consoled
    Professor Grace Alele Williams being assisted to the podium
  • Chibok community reaffirms support for #BBOG

    Chibok community reaffirms support for #BBOG

    Members of the Chibok community, under the umbrella of the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA) have reaffirmed their support for the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy.

    According to members of the community, the plight of the Chibok girls would have been long forgotten, if not for the #BBOG.

    Members of KADA who say that they are solidly behind the #BBOG have called on the Federal Government (FG) and its agencies to restrain from trying to portray the BBOG in bad light.

    In a statement signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary KADA, Dr Pogu Bitrus and Engr. Battah Ndirpaya, KADA stated that it has absolute trust in #BBOG and its members.

    It stated, “It has become imperative once again as community leaders and direct feelers of the unfortunate incident that brought our land to national discourse to come out and make clear our positions on the recent happenings in the country around the demand for the rescue of our daughters abducted on the 14th of April, 2014, with 218 girls still remaining in captivity for over 885 days today.

    “The advocacy for the rescue of the Chibok girls is not a struggle for the Chibok Community, families and parents of the abducted girls alone but it is a national and global advocacy that must be sustained until the girls are recued alive and reunited with their parents, families and community.  As community leaders therefore we identify and validate with absolute confidence and trust every individual, group, or organisation standing with us in this advocacy and demanding for our daughters’ freedom.

    “In the light of the above therefore we wish to make it clear to all that, we are solidly in support of the citizens’ movement, “the BRING BACK OUR GIRLS MOVEMENT” we have absolute trust in the movement and its members and their civility. We appreciate their resilience in staying for all this while with us as traumatized community.

    “Let the truth be told, if not for BBOG the issue of Chibok girls would have been long forgotten. We therefore appeal to the Federal government and its agencies to restrain from trying to portray the BBOG in bad light for standing for worthy and just cause of demanding the rescue of our innocent daughters, many others in abduction and continues calling for attention on the IDPs and Northeast in general. Our religious principles demand us to “DO TO OTHERS WHAT WE WOULD WANT THEM DO FOR US.” Therefore, BBOG is fulfilling divine mandate and should be encouraged and not maligned.

    “Regardless of all distractions by portraying the movement in bad light, we want to assure all the members of the BBOG movement and especially its leadership that the leadership of KADA and its entire membership are with you. We appreciate your empathy, sympathy, trust, and sense of patriotism as citizens for standing for one another no matter the social status. We earnestly implore you to continue with your good work of advocating for the rescue of our abducted daughters.

    “KADA national leadership also acknowledges and appreciates the activities and commitments of the Kibaku community in Abuja under the leadership of Hosea Abana Tsambido. You have our support. We encourage you to keep on giving the selfless service to our community, especially the parents of the girls and their families which you belong.

    “Our girls are not back as such we will continue to demand for concerted effort by the Federal government and its agencies to ensure critical and definitive focus is given the rescue of our daughters, to that effect we demand;

    “The federal government handles the issues raised in the plea for rescue video with the urgency it deserves that would translate to material and tangible results.

    “The federal government to explore avenue of giving opportunity for citizens that can stand between Nigeria and the terrorists to explore best options of getting the girls back and alive.

    “The Federal government to periodically communicate to the Chibok community (where all the parents belong) through the leadership of KADA what is being done to ensure the rescue of our daughters.

    “We will keep engaging with the Federal government, its relevant agencies and stakeholders continuously until our girls are rescued and brought back to us.”