The girls’ freedom is as unforgettable as their abduction was unparalleled. Never in the history of Nigeria or, for that matter, any other country, had some 276 pupils been seized and taken away from their school in one night. And never had any government betrayed such lethargy and lack of character as that of former President Goodluck Jonathan when the unthinkable did indeed happen, a failing which, some have said, ruled out prompt rescue of the girls.
Nor have Nigerians ever come up against such an ambitious and bloodthirsty sect as Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the Chibok abduction. Not that there wasn’t anything similar. In the 1980s, the Maitasine riots shook a good chunk of the North, claiming thousands of lives across Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kano, Yola and Bauchi, but the sect which could well have been the precursor of Boko Haram, did not claim territory, hoist a caliphate flag or abduct schoolchildren.
On Thursday, two and a half years since their abduction, 21 of the girls were freed. They came looking frail and gaunt and had such a vacant gaze that even without the training of a medical doctor or psychologist, you were sure that nearly three years in the hands of their abductors left them not just physically bruised but probably mentally drained. But, bruised or drained, it was pure joy having the 21 back.
Yet, it was joy amid grief. On Wednesday a blast killed eight and injured 15 in Maiduguri, a city which the terror group coveted so much that it hit it so relentlessly. In January last year a similar explosion killed 19 persons at a crowded market in the city, a 10-year-old suicide bomber blamed for the blast. That Wednesday some eight members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, also known as the Shia sect, were killed in skirmishes across Kaduna, Katsina and Sokoto during a procession. The Shiites were reportedly attacked by mobs, which seemed to denounce them almost everywhere they turned up. Clearly, more work must be done to curb sectarian violence and reassure everyone that indeed they are free to identify with any religion and are protected to practice it within the confines of the law.
The release of the 21 girls, brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government, has triggered some academic concerns. One, did the government swap the girls for some Boko Haram commanders? Two, was money paid to the Islamist group before the girls were freed?
Both questions are irrelevant, whether the answers are yes or no. In hostage situations, both options are routinely applied provided the abducted are freed. Information minister Lai Mohammed has said there was no such swap, and that the return of the girls was the product of painstaking work and trust on the side of government and of Boko Haram.
Finding the girls and bringing them back was a task Dr Jonathan and his government clearly failed to accomplish. They doubted that the girls were taken away in the first place, and when they could no longer deny, they just did not have the heart for any rescue. Even when they tried to negotiate with Boko Haram, they came up against swindlers and remained clueless till the end.
The Muhammadu Buhari administration deserves credit. The rescue of the 21 girls happened at a time Boko Haram was factionalised and a certain Abubakar Shekau had been killed several times over. So securing the release of this number of the girls when no one was sure who was in command of the group must the result of some credible effort, as Alhaji Mohammed inferred.
The return of the 21 Chibok girls must have forced some to revise their positions, one of which that President Buhari promised more than he could deliver. Some also concluded that the girls would have been scattered, possibly across borders, married off or killed. The return of the 21 offers hope that though the girls may have been dehumanised, in fact, one returned with a baby, at least, some are alive and can recover their lives.
The best news of Thursday silenced those who said the whole thing was a hoax, a point that was driven home by a relieved Chibok community leader who, alongside his people, was not only troubled by the abduction but also haunted by the fact that some believed it did not take place.
Chibok, a little humble town, exploded in joy as the 21 were freed. But it was joy that spread beyond its borders to neighbouring communities all the way to the nation’s capital and across national boundaries. The abduction got the attention of world leaders, each adding their voice to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. With the release of the 21, they have started voicing their relief, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair being one of the first to speak. Mr Blair said he was happy the 21 have come out, urging that the rest be found and returned too. United States First Lady Michelle Obama should be too, as should others who, in vain, nudged Dr Jonathan to secure the Chibok girls’ release.
Thursday also brought hope that the nearly 200 girls still in captivity could return, and, away from abductions, that perhaps the unflattering national economy could also get a lift.
