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Tag: Chibok

  • Chibok boy paralyzed by Boko Haram gets help

    Chibok boy paralyzed by Boko Haram gets help

    A six year-old boy from Chibok, Borno State, who was paralyzed by Boko Haram three years ago, has the chance to be on his feet again.

    An Abuja-based charity group Dickens Sanomi Foundation, has offered to pay the medical bill of the boy, Ali Ahmadu.

    Boko Haram militants had run over the boy during the April 2014 invasion of the town where 275 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the terrorists.

    The medical bill for the spinal cord surgery to enable young Ali to walk again, is $48,000 (N14, 640,000.00). Surgery will take place at a medical facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to a statement by the Foundation.

    “Ali needs corrective surgery to enable him walk again after he was over ran with a motor cycle in Chibok by Boko Haram members during a night raid,” said Nuhu Kwajafa, the coordinator of Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC), an NGO spearheading the campaign for the medical aid of the young victim.

    Mr. Kwajafa said the total requirement needed for the complete treatment of Ali was put at $60,000.00 (N18, 300, 00.00), including feeding, accommodation for three months. Mr Kwajafa expressed his thanks and appreciation to the National Assembly and all well-meaning Nigerians for their support and contribution, thus far.

    Members of the GIPLC were at the Dickens Sanomi Foundation office in Abuja as part of the initiative to ensure that young Ali walks again.

    They were received by Chairman of the Foundation Igho Sanomi and Trustee members.

    Chairman of the Foundation, Igho Sanomi, who is also the chairman of the energy company Taleveras said, “as a father, it is very touching to see a young boy like this suffer. It is sad what some of our kids have to go through. This is an opportunity for us to show our love to those who need it.”

    “Although, education remains the key focus of the Foundation, kids have to be healthy before they can attend school. On behalf of the board of trustees of Dickens Sanomi Foundation, we will take care of Ali, this will include paying the Hospital bill and we will visit him in the Hospital after the surgery.”

    The Dickens Sanomi Foundation (DSF) was founded in 2011 by the children of Dickens Oghenereumu Patrick Sanomi.

    It serves both to commemorate the life of the family’s patriarch and to provide charitable support for that particular objective upon which he placed such great value, the education of Nigeria’s youth.

    The resources of the Dickens Sanomi Foundation are used to deliver and support charitable projects whose aims and activities are in accord with this objective.

    Examples of these include essay competitions, musical outreach programs and literacy awareness campaigns. Through this work, the Dickens Sanomi Foundation seeks to relieve the effects of socio-economic hardship amongst young Nigerians from vulnerable backgrounds, and to empower them with the knowledge they need to secure a brighter future for themselves and for Nigeria as a whole.

  • Chibok schoolgirls’ strength inspiring – UN

    Chibok schoolgirls’ strength inspiring – UN

    The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has described the strength of the rescued Chibok schoolgirls as “inspiring”.

    Mohammed gave the remarks while briefing the UN Security Council on her visit to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo from July 19 to 27.

    The UN deputy chief said: “In Nigeria, we were moved by our meeting with the Chibok girls facilitated by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs.

    “Their remarkable strength as survivors rather than victims is inspiring. Many are receiving education and psychosocial support to prepare them for reintegration.

    “But thousands of other young women who have been abducted and returned, subjected to sexual violence and affected by conflict in other ways are still to receive adequate support.

    “We also interacted with displaced women and girls who are facing exploitation and abuse in the camps. We held meetings with women leaders who underscored the need to address mental health and women’s empowerment.”

    She commended the governments of Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria for their efforts to promote stability through the Multinational Joint Task Force within the Lake Chad Basin Regional cooperation.

    According to her, international support will continue to be crucial in addressing the root causes of the crisis in very complex situations.

    “I am pleased to note that since our visit, the Acting President of Nigeria has established a Judicial Commission to investigate alleged violations of human rights by Nigerian security agencies, and to recommend ways to prevent such violations.

    “I commend this initiative and encourage the relevant authorities to include sexual- and gender-based violence within the Commission’s work.

    “The United Nations stands ready to support this important effort and also to reinforce protection measures for displaced women and girls,” Mohammed, Nigeria’s former Minister of Environment, said.

    She said in Nigeria, the eight-year conflict in the Northeast has generated a risk of famine, displaced 1.9 million people and left 8.5 million people in need of assistance.

    “These dire circumstances are being made worse by the large gap in humanitarian funding including meeting the commitments made at the Oslo Humanitarian Conference. There is an acute need for sustained and scaled up funding to avert famine in Nigeria.”

    Mohammed stressed that “one message resounds most: investing in women and girls must be central to our efforts in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond if we are to have sustainable peace and development.

    “Giving special consideration to the context will be key to responses that deliver the right results.

    “We look forward to working with national governments, regional organizations, civil society, women and girls themselves, and international partners to deliver results that will advance peace, development and dignity for all.”

    Mohammed said she was pleased to be joined by the Executive Director of UN Women and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict – both of whom were with her at the briefing, as well as the African Union Commission’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security.

    “We were four African women, from two organizations, visiting two countries, with one goal: advancing peace by advancing the equality, empowerment and well-being of women,” Mohammed said. (NAN)

  • Chibok schoolgirls hail Trump at White House

    Chibok schoolgirls hail Trump at White House

    Two of the Chibok schoolgirls, who escaped from Boko Haram captivity in 2014, Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, read a letter hailing United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House on Tuesday.

    The White House released more photos of the girls at the weekend, claiming that during their visit, Joy and Lydia “read the President a letter about their experience”.

    On the night of April 14, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno.

    An excerpt of the letter is below: “Mr. President, we urge you to keep America safe and strong.

    “We know that some people are trying to discourage you.

    “Do not be discouraged. You are right to keep American safe and strong.

    “Not only for America. But for the world.

    “If America is not safe and strong, where can people like us look for hope, when there is danger?

    “Finally, we urge you to keep making America prosperous.”

    Trump and his daughter Ivanka hosted the Chibok schoolgirls during their visit, the White House said.

    The Boko Haram insurgents broke into the school and kidnapped the girls, who were sitting for their final exams.

    “But approximately 50 of the girls have escaped, including Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, who visited President Donald Trump, and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, at the White House last Tuesday.

    “The girls are recent graduates of Canyonville Christian Academy in Oregon, and they were accompanied by the school President, Doug Wead.

    “The President and Ivanka were both deeply moved by the girls’ visit,” the statement by the White House read.

    The Chibok schoolgirls’ visit coincided with the U.S. State Department’s release of its annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

    “In the wake of the report, the two Chibok schoolgirls’ visit to the White House was a reminder that the survivors of the scourge of human trafficking are heroes whose courage can inspire us all,” the White House said.

    “Let us recommit ourselves to finding those still in the shadows of exploitation, and let us celebrate the heroes who continue to shine on the darkness of human trafficking.”

  • 21 killed as Boko Haram sacks villages near Chibok

    The Chibok axis in Borno State seems to be back under the radar of the terror sect, Boko Haram.

    The group has, in the last one week, killed 21 people in two separate attacks in villages close to Chibok, according to residents.

    Chibok attracted world attention for the first time in April 2014 after the sect invaded the Government Girls Secondary School in the town, abducting about 275 students.

    Five of the girls managed to escape soon after the kidnapping, while 21 were first released after lengthy negotiations in October last year and another 82 last month.

    The latest attacks on Kaya, 27 kilometres from Chibok occurred last Sunday and a village close to Gumsri last Wednesday.

    The insurgents reportedly swooped on Kaya on the fateful day on motorcycles, bicycles and started firing at everyone in sight.

    They burnt houses and killed those who were unable to run into the bush.

    The survivors have relocated.

    The second attack came 72 hours later when the terrorists attacked the next village close to Gumsri .

    “As it is all the villagers in those communities have deserted, they have packed their belongings and come to Chibok. So many attacks and innocent lives have been lost in Damboa LGA but it is usually not reported,” online publication, The Cable, quoted a resident as saying.

    “To us here in Chibok, we are living in fear because that it is the only place that has been like a roadblock to them coming to us. Some people that cannot withstand the situation are even moving to Maiduguri which is safe for them.”

    On whether there are no soldiers on ground during the attacks, he said the soldiers around find it difficult to get to the place of the attacks “because of the far distance from where they are to the village.”

    “Even with the presence of a brigade, the problem the security people are having here is that mostly, the communities attacked are under Damboa council but the soldiers are closer to Chibok,” he said.

  • Rescue of 82 Chibok schoolgirls, proof of FG’s commitment to Nigerian child, says Sen Tinubu

    Rescue of 82 Chibok schoolgirls, proof of FG’s commitment to Nigerian child, says Sen Tinubu

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing the Lagos Central Senatorial District, has said the recent rescue of 82 of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls is a proof of the commitment of the Federal Government to the wellbeing of the Nigerian child.

    On the occasion of this year’s Children’s Day, she said her prayers were with the remainder of the over 200 girls abducted from their dormitory in Chibok in 2014 who are still in captivity.

    Senator Tinubu expressed the hope that the remaining girls would be rescued soon and reunited with their families.

    In a letter addressed to the Nigerian Child across the 36 states of the federation, Senator Tinubu also charged the government to provide for those who have been displaced by insurgency and are often without basic necessities – food, shelter, affordable and accessible health care and education.

    “This is your right and I hope that Nigeria can be better to provide you a whole world of opportunities ahead of you. It is my hope that every one of you can be protected from violence such in all its forms such as exploitation and abuse, trafficking, physical and humiliating punishment, harmful traditional practices etc. However, you must not let the difficulty of the situation around you limit the greatness you carry,” she said.

    The letter reads:

    “Dear Nigerian Child,

    It is the 27th of May, a day set aside to celebrate you a valuable resource, our hope and leaders of tomorrow; appreciate childhood and address issues that concern you all. Thus, I rejoice with you.

    “This Children’s Day is a joyous one, particularly so, in light of the return of 82 Chibok girls, children like you who were abducted in 2014 and deprived of access to their homes, education, parents and loved ones. The return of these girls is proof of the commitment of this government to your wellbeing. My prayers are with those still in captivity and for their hasty return.

    “Some of you, especially those who have been displaced by insurgency, are often without basic necessities – food, shelter, affordable and accessible health care and education. This is your right and I hope that Nigeria can be better to provide you a whole world of opportunities ahead of you.

    “It is my hope that every one of you can be protected from violence such in all its forms such as exploitation and abuse, trafficking, physical and humiliating punishment, harmful traditional practices etc. However, you must not let the difficulty of the situation around you limit the greatness you carry.

    “My commitment to you children has not waned. As the Senator representing Lagos Central, I will continue to do my best to ensure better conditions, welfare and opportunities for you all.

    “You are the leaders of tomorrow, Nigeria’s future; and everything you do and learn is to prepare you for that great responsibility and equip you with all the necessary tools. Please make the most of it.

    “Today, I wish you a happy Children’s Day and hope sincerely that you take on the baton of excellence, impacting lives, your surroundings and Nigeria in all you do.

    “Happy Children’s Day 2017.”

  • Osinbajo confirms rescue of another Chibok schoolgirl, says Femi Adesina

    Osinbajo confirms rescue of another Chibok schoolgirl, says Femi Adesina

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday confirmed that another Chibok schoolgirl had been found, barely 12 days after the release of the 82 abducted girls by their captors.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who made this known to State House correspondents in Abuja, said the recovery of the girl was announced by the acting president during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.

    According to her, the affected girl has been brought to Abuja to join her colleagues who were rescued from captivity.
    Cue in audio – Adesina

    “Yes, at the Federal Executive Council’s meeting, the Vice-President broke the cheering news to members of the cabinet and after that I have also spoken to defence people who confirmed it.

    “The details are yet to fully unravel . But in terms of is it true- yes, it is true. I learnt she is already being brought to Abuja, but I have not seen her

    The presidential aide expressed the hope that the remaining Chibok schoolgirls and other Nigerians in captivity would soon be rescued.

    He also dismissed the assertion that members of the Boko Haram sect had started regrouping in the Sambisa forest, saying that the Federal Government had the capacity to confront any security challenge arising from any part of the country.

    “One thing you can be sure of is that this government has the capacity to confront any security challenge that arises.

    “So, if they are regrouping they will be flushed out again.

    “I believe that we have seen the worst of that insurgency. We are in a mopping up process and I believe the mop up would be completed.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 82 girls were recently released by their captors in exchange for five Boko Haram (commanders) suspects held by the federal government. Twenty one others were released in October last year and another three also regained their freedom, in separate circumstances.

    They were released to international negotiators who have been working in collaboration with the federal government for their safe return since they were kidnapped in April 2014.(NAN)

  • Man who brokered Chibok girls’ release and how

    Man who brokered Chibok girls’ release and how

    The recent release of 82 Chibok girls by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram was brokered by a lawyer and founder of the Future Prowess Islamic Foundation, 57-year-old Zannah Mustapha.

    Novelist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani in this report by bbc.com profiles the lawyer who recounted how the breakthrough was accomplished.

    This process of lining up the women, pointing at each one and asking the same question, was repeated at the beginning of May when 82 more women were released.

    “One of about seven Boko Haram militants, who accompanied them, went from woman to woman asking: “Throughout the time you were with us, did anyone rape you or touch you?” Mr Mustapha said, adding that each of them replied in the negative.

    RELATED: Released ‘yet imprisoned’ Chibok girls story

    Released Chibok girls

    “None of the second batch of 82 captives came with a child.

    “But one had an amputated limb and was walking with crutches, an injury she sustained, according to what Mr Mustapha was told, during Nigerian military air strikes against Boko Haram.”

    Click here to read the full report:

  • Mother of AK47-bearing Chibok schoolgirl: I won’t watch video

    Mother of AK47-bearing Chibok schoolgirl: I won’t watch video

    Madam Esther Yakubu, mother of Maida Yakubu, the Chibok schoolgirl shown carrying an AK 47 gun in a Boko Haram video released at the weekend said yesterday she would not watch the video.

    The video is one of the two made available by the sect at the weekend where Maida and three other girls said they would not return from the terrorists’ den.

    Speaking yesterday in a telephone conversation, Madam Yakubu said she had not seen the video and was not ready to watch it.

    “I have not seen the video and I don’t intend to see it. I cannot comment on what I have not seen,” she said.

    Also yesterday, Parents of the released 82 girls confirmed that they were being mobilised from Chibok and environs where they live to visit their children in Abuja.

    The father of one of the girls, Yama Pogu, said the parents had been meeting in Chibok, getting ready for the journey to Abuja.

    Pogu said although a date had not been fixed, all the parents had been mobilised.

    He said the parents had no idea if the Federal Government would  sponsor their trip to Abuja but were determined to see their daughters.

    “They have mobilised us and we have started making preparations but yet to set a date for our departure. We even had a meeting today, all the parents, including those outside Chibok.

    “We have all decided that we are going; we don’t know if they would be paying for our transportation or sending vehicles for us, but we as parents have decided to look for money so that whether they pay for our transportation or not, we can pay our way to Abuja to see our daughters.”

  • The Chibok saga

    THE night they were kidnapped, the girls never expected such fate to befall them. Their plan was to go to bed peacefully after reading in order to get up fresh the following day for their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). It was the night the peace of not only Chibok, the community which hosts the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) in Borno State, was shattered but also that of the country. Since the April 14, 2014 abduction of these girls – 219 in all – from their dormitories, the nation has known no peace.

    How can they be in captivity and the nation will be at rest? Their parents wailed, demanding the rescue of their children from the kidnappers. Boko Haram, which carried out the operation, cared less about the parents’ feelings. What mattered to the insurgent group was that it had struck where it would pain the nation most.

    Since 2009 Boko Haram has been a thorn in our flesh and nobody seems to know what it wants. The much we know is that it is against western culture. This supposition may not be entirely true.

    With the help of a western tool-video-it mocked us to no end about its kidnap of the Chibok girls. Its leader was on one or two video recordings, telling the world what the group would do to the girls. ‘’We will marry them off’’, the elusive Abubakar Shekau boasted. He claimed that he had a mandate from Allah to do so. As mothers held their bosom, weeping their hearts out, he was busy celebrating what he considered a “big catch”.

    The snag was Boko Haram could not be tackled frontally with the girls still in its grip. There was no way the Chibok girls could be freed by force as long as they were held captive. The group had an advantage, which it has since held on to. It took the Jonathan administration weeks to wake up to the reality of the girls’ kidnap. So, for the two weeks or so that the government chose to believe that the kidnap did not happen, Boko Haram held on to this advantage. It took the girls deep into the Sambisa Forest and from there distributed them to some neighbouring countries. Thus, it became difficult getting back the girls together just the way they were abducted.

    To get back all the girls requires grace. The Bringbackourgirls (BBOG) movement was born to actualise this aim. The BBOG, with Aishat Yusuf and Oby Ezekwesili as arrowheads, started a daily sit-out at the Eagle Square to create awareness about the girls’ fate. The group has been unrelenting in its campaign to get the girls back. It piled pressure on the Jonathan administration. It may be safe to say that if not for BBOG, the Jonathan administration may not have lifted a finger in respect of the girls’ case. The group went beyond its sit-out to march on Aso Rock severally, but our security men, in their characteristic manner, always stopped them.

    No matter what it went through, the BBOG kept the campaign alive. Because of the group, the nation, nay the world, did not forget the Chibok girls. In the morning, afternoon and night, Yusuf, Ezekwesili and others were at the barricades, rallying us all to stand up for the Chibok girls. ‘’We should never forget the Chibok girls’’, the group charged the world. Despite the group’s  pressure, the Jonathan administration was unable to rescue them before it left office.

    The nation expected a change in the temperature of the campaign to free the girls following the change in government in May 2015. Again, the BBOG stepped forward to mount pressure on the Buhari administration as it did to its predecessor. On many occasions, it nudged the Buhari administration into action. It maintained its Aso Rock protest, but again, it was not allowed to get to the seat of power. But the government responded to its protest. The government promised that it would never allow the Chibok girls to rot in captivity, adding that everything is being done to bring them back without a fuss.

    T he government has indeed taken some commendable steps about the case. In October, last year, 21 of the girls were freed following negotiations with the kidnappers. The exercise was supposed to be done in secrecy, but it leaked to the press. After the girls’ release, the government promised that 80 others will also soon regain their freedom. The release of the 21 and the earlier escape of two others were cheery news. It gave the girls’ families hope that they may still see their daughters. And on the night of Saturday,  May 5, it happened. That night, 82 of the girls were freed after being swapped with some Boko Haram detainees. The release of the girls has brought joy to our faces. The people are happy because the government has acted in their interest. The government is supposed to be there for us in both peace and difficult times. It should not abandon us at anytime no matter our status in life. The government is not for the rich and mighty alone; it is for all – the rich and the poor.

    As we rejoice over the freedom of these 82 girls, we should not forget those still in captivity. It is when they are all free that our joy will be full. I know that soon, very soon, they shall be free also. As President Muhammadu Buhari observed when he received the girls in Abuja on Sunday before leaving for London for medical follow up, ‘’no human being should go through this kind of ordeal’’. The grim task now is reintegrating the girls back into society. It will not be easy, but it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they fit back into the society from which they were forcibly taken away over three years ago.

  • Makarfi’s PDP under fire over comment on released Chibok girls

    Makarfi’s PDP under fire over comment on released Chibok girls

    Following a statement credited to Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s led faction of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) condemning the negotiation and the prisoner swap that resulted in the release of 82 of the girls abducted from a girls secondary school in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists, a group under the auspices of League of Upcoming Political Parties has described the statement as shocking from a ‘confused group’.

    The league in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Musa Ahmadu and make available to media in Kaduna Monday added that, is more shocking that the statement was coming from the faction led by man who has been the executive governor and chief security officer of a state for eight years and who is widely acclaimed to have brought relative peace to his state of Kaduna during his tenure.

    The statement read in part, “the comment of the PDP at a time when the whole world was congratulating the federal government for leading the initiative that saved the lives of 82 innocent young girls, brought joy to their homes and rekindled the hope of the citizenry that it is now blessed with an effective government which can go all lengths to secure the lives of its citizens.

    “The statement by a faction of a fractured party can only be excused on the basis that the stress of its prolonged engagement to claim authenticity of the party has begun to affect the psyche of its leadership and raises the question whether the statement is not a subtle extension of the cold war between the Makarfi faction and Ali Modu Sheriff.

    “We advice Makarfi not to allow his frustration with Modu Sheriff rob him on his integrity and wisdom for he is one of the most respected among the tribe of former governors in Nigeria. Issuing this kinds of statements that panders to kindergarten logic would definitely harm his head earned reputation.

    “The Makarfi faction said the negotiations that led to the release of the 82 girls violate international best practices  of not negotiating with terrorists, but the faction tends to forget that even US which is the lead figure in the fight against terrorism has never closed the path towards negotiation when it’s interest is at stake and has many times  entered into negotiations with terrorists groups and exchanged prisoners with the underlying aim of securing the lives of hostages first before any other thing”.

    The statement continued, ‎”the Makarfi faction seems to have forgotten  that at the end of every strategy or engagement, it is the result that matters  and that best practices are not statutes but strategies hence cannot be violated but replaced when the matter demands a different approach.

    “The faction also claimed the release of the girls through this process will exert pressure on the parents of the remaining girls yet to be released. They claim the parents of the remaining girls would begin to wonder why their own children were not among the lucky ones released.

    “The recent release of the 82 girls, the largest number so far, rather than sadden the parents of those that are yet to return, has followed a similar pattern by reigniting the hope of the parents of those yet to see their children that it remains a matter of time for them to be equally lucky and has erased the despondency created by the PDP government which kept making statements about its helplessness on the situation and inflicting psychological torture on the parents.

    “The current release of the 82 girls needs to be stressed has not only restored hope in the whole of Chibok, Borno State and Nigeria but globally, that not only are these girls alive and well but with the application of  efficient strategies like the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has done, the remaining girls would be found and rescued.

    “We wonder where Makarfi ‎ and his cohorts have been all this while when the current administration has recorded success in the fight against the insurgents by clearing the dreaded Sambisa Forest which became a no go area in the PDP era, secured the release of kidnapped victims, preventing the terrorists from holding any territory under the federal republic of Nigeria and degrading the terrorists to a stage where they can only attack soft targets.

    “But it must be made clear to Makarfi and his co-travellers  that the current administration places high premium on the sanctity of human lives and respect for human rights which has been the hallmark of the current military in all its operations”, the statement added.