The #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group has expressed shocked that 810 days after the abduction of the Chibok school girls, the federal government has not offered the public any credible information on the whereabouts of the abducted girls.
In a press release signed by the leaders of the group, Aisha Yesufu and Dr Oby Ezekwesili on the the statement by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai which gave doubt oas to whether the 218 abducted Chibok girls are alive, the group stated that it was embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable that without such information, a statement that suggests closure on the mission to rescue them has been made by the COAS.
“We have been extremely delighted at the return of large numbers of our fellow citizens, including the military’s report of the rescue of over 5,000 from behind enemy lines within the last few days. Furthermore, this unfortunate speculation is inconsistent with every single report of encounters with our #ChibokGirls reported by various other liberated abductees of the terrorists or the proof of life video that is now publicly available. #ChibokGirl Amina Nkeki Ali’s return on May 17th, strengthened the hope and belief of the families of our 219 girls and concerned citizens in Nigeria and across the world that they would be located and rescued.
“We, like our President, President Muhammadu Buhari during his reception for Ms. Nkeki Ali, believed that the military and intelligence authorities would debrief her effectively and thus generate the missing pieces of actionable intelligence for the rescue of the rest of her classmates. Is the COAS by his recent doubts conveying a different message to us?”
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The group therefore urged government and the military to urgently re-strategise and work towards bringing back the rest of the Chibok girls who have stayed in the hands of their abductors for over two years now.
“We unreservedly reject any message from the Federal Government and the Military that seems to suggest that they are foreclosing that our #ChibokGirls are no longer alive without even so much as providing any proof of such a position. We are shocked that 809 days after the abduction of such a large number of our children, the Government of Nigeria has not offered the public any credible information on their whereabouts. It is embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable that without such information, a statement that suggests closure on the mission to rescue them has been made by the COAS.
“We emphatically reject this unfortunate development and hereby advise our Army Chief to urgently re-strategize, strengthen and channel the resources of the military into EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to locate and rescue our #ChibokGirls and other citizens of Nigeria who are still in the terrorist’s den.
“We also wish to advise the Federal Government on the necessity to improve the process of identifying citizens who are rescued from terrorists. We believe that a more structured and systematic collaboration among relevant agencies would improve the identification, verification and registration of rescued citizens. We believe this system will provide necessary timelines of abductions, including periods of stay beyond enemy lines and a possible mapping of the enemy’s routes. Armed with these and proper debriefing, the programs of reintegration, rehabilitation and resettlement would be more effective and dignifying for our rescued citizens,” it said.
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