Nine years after, 98 Chibok girls still in Boko Haram captivity

Nine years later Boko Haram After the kidnapping of 276 students from a girls’ school in Chibok, 98 girls are still being held by Boko Haram and a spate of abductions has taken place since then, exposing the utter failure of Nigerian authorities to learn from the Chibok heartbreak and ultimately protect children, Amnesty said today. International.

Since Boko Haram kidnapped the Chibok school girls, many schools have been targeted, and the girls have been abducted, raped, killed or forced into “marriage”. Nigerian authorities, however, have not conducted a single credible investigation into the security failures that left children vulnerable to atrocities by Boko Haram and gunmen.

“The parents of the 98 Chibok girls still being held by Boko Haram – as well as other children abducted by the gunmen – live in anguish, knowing that their children are in the hands of ruthless people, whose relatives are being subjected to terrible brutality,” said Isa Sanusi of Amnesty. Acting Directors of International Nigeria.

“It is high time that the Nigerian authorities took meaningful action against Boko Haram and armed gangs. Nigeria has an obligation to put in place safeguards to protect all children, and the lack of accountability for these heinous crimes encourages impunity. The missing Chibok school girls should be returned home to their families, and all those responsible for serious violations must face justice.”

Between December 2020 and March 2021, there have been at least five cases of abductions in northern Nigeria, including from schools in Kankara, Kagara, Jangebe, Damishi Kaduna, Tegina and Yawurin, while threats of further attacks have led to their closure. More than 600 schools in the north of the country.

Abandoned by missing Chibok school girls

In late March, Amnesty International interviewed five Chibok school girls and their parents who fled Boko Haram. They said they had given up almost all hope that the other 98 girls would ever be saved.

One returnee told Amnesty International: “The Nigerian government must not forget the remaining 98 girls. They must be rescued. Every morning I wake up and remember the situation I left them in. I cry, I feel sorry. Nine years is too long to be in a sorry state. The government must fulfill its commitment to save all girls.’

Parents of the victims are concerned that the girls who refused to be “married off” by Boko Haram are subjected to brutal treatment on a daily basis.

READ ALSO: The Chibok community is demanding the release of the remaining 112 students kidnapped in 2014

One of the parents told Amnesty International: “Our pain is endless because 14 of the girls came back with 24 children. We have grandchildren with us whose fathers are unknown. Our burden has now multiplied as we have no money to feed, educate and bear the additional burden. [providing] health care for our returning children and grandchildren. In addition to the social rejection and stigma that we all face. We are hopeless!”

The parents of the Chibok girls still held by Boko Haram told Amnesty International that Nigerian authorities no longer communicate with them and have finally abandoned them.

Since February 2021, the northern regions of Nigeria have repeatedly suffered attacks on schools and religious institutions. Of the more than 780 children kidnapped for ransom, more than 61 children are still in captivity, two years after the gunmen abducted them. Many schools in the region were closed, and remain closed, due to increasing insecurity.

“Other than that, rescuing the Chibok girls is of the utmost importance; the task of finding them should not become another failed government project. It is absolutely critical that the government outside Nigeria does everything in its power to bring these girls—as well as all other children held by various armed groups—home to their families,” said Isa Sanusi.