Last week, after nearly three years in captivity, 21 of the abducted Chibok school girls were freed. They regained their freedom following intense, long and complex negotiations between representatives of the federal government and their captors, the Boko Haram terrorists. The deal was brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), representatives of the Swiss government and senior officials of the federal government. Over 200 of those abducted girls still remain in the custody of the terrorists. We can only hope that further negotiations with the terrorists will soon lead to the release of the remaining and unfortunate but innocent girls. It does not matter right now whether or not any financial ransom, or an amnesty by the federal government for some of the Boko Haram terrorists in detention, led to the release of the girls. Since their violent abduction nearly three years ago, the nation has agonised over the ordeal of these innocent school girls. It shamed our country. Any price is worth paying for the freedom of these school girls, who were snatched from their dormitories at night while preparing for their final year examinations. Hopefully, in future, when the insurgency is over, those responsible for the heinous abduction of the Chibok school girls will be brought to justice.
The federal government and all those involved in the release of the 21 girls should be commended for securing the release of these girls. We must also applaud and show some appreciation of the tireless efforts of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign, led by Oby Ezekwesili and other civil rights organisations, for not giving up on their tireless campaign that the girls be brought back. They made sure the girls were not forgotten by our country and the international community. Quite often, they were bullied, vilified, frustrated and demonised in their long campaign to bring the girls back by a petty officialdom that did not show any real concern about the plight of these innocent girls. These petty officials denied the BBOG leaders access to the President in pursuit of their laudable campaign for the freedom of the girls. But now that the 21 girls have been freed, the petty and uncaring officials want to share in the glory of bringing freedom to the girls.
As may well be expected, news of the release of the girls was greeted with much joy and relief, not only by their parents who had waited patiently so long for their release, but by the entire nation, which should be grateful to President Buhari for not giving up hope and for tenaciously seeking the release of the girls, a concern that was not shown by Jonathan, his predecessor. Very few, including the parents of the girls, could have believed their release possible after nearly three years of their abduction. Media reports of their return to safety were carried on the front page of most newspapers, displacing, for some days, media reports on the scurrilous financial scandals of some federal judges and justices. When they were first abducted, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, the former First Lady, was even reported as expressing serious doubts that there was any abduction in the Chibok school at all. Under Jonathan the Army and security forces were neither given funds nor supplied with the weapons needed to fight the BH terrorists in the Sambisa forests, or to conduct any search and rescue mission. They were no match for the terrorists. Instead, money meant for the purchase of weapons to secure the state and free the girls was diverted by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuku (retd.), to private pockets to fraudulently secure Jonathan’s re-election as president. Whatever we may think or say about President Buhari, publicly, or privately, the tables have been turned against the terrorists and some of the abducted girls have now been freed. There is a palpable sense of joy, relief and pride that our nation has achieved this remarkable feat. It will restore some of our lost pride, hopes and past glories as a nation that cares for its citizens, and that will go to any length to defend and protect them. That is the first and most important duty of a state. Any state that fails, or proves incapable of fulfilling this basic duty and responsibility to its citizens, is not worthy of being respected by either its citizens, or the international community. It has to be deemed a failed state.
Now, what next after the release of the first 21 of the abducted school girls? The girls came back from their captivity after nearly three years looking haggard, ragged, deranged and emaciated. The emotional trauma and physical abuse these innocent girls had suffered in the custody of the terrorists break one’s heart. Only their parents can truly feel what their loved ones went through in the hands of the terrorists. It is an experience that neither they nor their parents will ever forget. The nation too should not forget. Time may heel some of the emotional trauma they have suffered. As a people and nation, we must help them recover as quickly as possible from their horrifying ordeal in the hands of the BH terrorists. What should we as a people and nation do now to help these innocent school girls who could not be helped when they needed our collective assistance?
First, now that they have regained their freedom, the privacy of these girls and that of their parents must be respected by all, including the media. Until they tell their own stories whilst in captivity, their identities must be protected. They need time to recover from the emotional trauma they have been put through over a period of nearly three years. It is better for them to remain in their localities where their full emotional recovery will be made much easier. Any unprofessional intrusion into their private lives should be discouraged. After their necessary debriefing by the state intelligence agencies for security reasons, the state should provide the girls with a complement of professionals, such as psychologists and psychiatrists, to help them regain their emotional and psychological balance. There are many such international humanitarian agencies, including the ICRC that can offer this assistance to the girls at little or no cost to the state. Some of our local humanitarian and relief organisations can also offer some assistance in this regard and should be used. But they must be kept under close monitoring and observation to ensure that funds meant for the rehabilitation of the girls get directly to them. We must not allow them to be treated callously like the internally-displaced persons. Much more can be achieved in this regard with modest funds if officialdom is kept at bay. All aid offers to the girls should be channelled through the federal government. But, at a time of recession with its limited financial resources, all this cannot be done by the government alone. The religious organisations, particularly the churches and mosques, must be encouraged to make some financial donations for the rehabilitation of the rescued girls. In addition, security must be tightened in all our schools to ensure the safety and security of our children. We must make the schools safer for our children. In fact, it has become necessary now to provide special security for all the schools in our country. This will cost money, but it is well worth it. The time has also come to have a rethink about the idea of neighbourhood and state police that should enhance security in our schools.
Secondly, those among the freed girls who wish to return to school to complete their secondary school education should be encouraged and fully supported by the state to do so. This is an essential part of their rehabilitation. It is in the interest of our country to encourage these girls to complete their secondary school education without any further interruption. Despite the trauma they have suffered, they can still make a useful contribution to the future growth and development of our country. If we fail to do this, these girls will remain alienated from the society and, through their frustration, could become radicalised and constitute a security danger to our nation. Secondary school education in the North is generally free. Their returning to school will not cost the state much money. But even if it does, it is well worth it. The federal government should designate a modest and special fund to help these girls recover from their tragic plight and continue with their education from which our country can only benefit.
Finally, the government must begin to think more seriously about the sources and causes of the general state of insecurity in our nation, as reflected in the frequent media reports about kidnappings, abductions, assassinations and other violent crimes in our country, and how to tackle these social problems. There will always be petty crimes in any society. But in the case of our country, these are made worse by the situation of mass unemployment, mass poverty and the prevailing social and economic inequalities in our country. These social problems will not be resolved simply by hectoring, or by a resort to draconian measures, or by persuasion, or by appeal to religious sentiments. They will only be resolved when the authorities are seen as being more caring of the poor and taking practical economic measures to create jobs and end the vast income inequalities in our country. To reduce violent crimes in our country, we must strive to create a caring and more compassionate society in which all our people enjoy equal opportunities.
