After one thousand days, and still counting, the Nigerian State has failed to rescue the remaining Chibok girls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists on 14 April 2014.
Despite negotiations between the Federal Government and Boko Haram only 21 of the kidnapped girls have been released. While a few others have managed to stage a risky escape on their own.
But 195 of them remain in Boko Haram captivity, notwithstanding claims by the Nigerian Army that the sect has lost most of the territory they controlled, including their stronghold, Sambisa forest to troops.
In a message on Sunday to commemorate the 1000th day of their abduction, President Muhammadu Buhari however restated the commitment of his government to securing the release of the girls.
“We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones. Three of them have been recovered by our diligent military, while the freedom of 21 others was secured through engagement with their captors. We are hopeful that many more will still return as soon as practicable,” he said.
Reassuring the parents of the missing girls, he added, “I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days. The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged. Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to.
“Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute. Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality.”
The kidnapped Chibok girls have been mainly used by their captors as sex slaves, as most of the released girls were found to be pregnant. Few others went into captivity as girls and came back as mothers, with baby.
They were let down by their country, which could neither guarantee their safety in the first place, nor take crucial steps to ensure their rescue.
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