Nigerian parents lashed out on Tuesday at the government’s failure to rescue scores of schoolgirls kidnapped two weeks ago by Boko Haram Islamists, as a local leader claimed the hostages had been sold as wives abroad.
“May God curse every one of those who have failed to free our girls,” said Enoch Mark, whose daughter and two nieces were among the more than 234 students abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Chibok area of northeastern Borno state.
The parents outrage came as Pogo Bitrus, leader of a Chibok elders group said the captured girls are being offered to Boko Haram fighters at $12 each (About N2000)
Bitrus said that locals had been tracking the movements of the hostages with the help of “various sources” across the northeast.
“From the information we received yesterday from Cameroonian border towns our abducted girls were taken… into Chad and Cameroon,” he said.
The girls were then sold as brides to Islamist fighters for 2,000 naira ($12) each, Bitrus added.
The attack was one of the most shocking in Boko Haram’s five-year uprising, which has claimed thousands of lives across northern and central Nigeria.
The outrage that followed the mass abduction has been compounded by disputes over how many girls were seized and criticism of the military’s search-and-rescue effort.
Borno officials have said that 129 girls were kidnapped when gunmen stormed the school after sundown on April 14 and forced the students — who are between 12 and 17 years old — onto a convoy of trucks. Officials said 52 have since escaped.
Locals, including the school’s principal, have rejected those numbers, insisting that 230 students were snatched and that 187 are still being held hostage.
Mark told AFP that his wife has hardly slept since the attack, lying awake at night “thinking about our daughter”.
Some of the girls who escaped have said the hostages were taken to Borno’s Sambisa Forest area, where Boko Haram has well-fortified camps.
Boko Haram’s name translates as “Western education is forbidden”, and it has repeatedly attacked schools during an insurgency aimed at creating a strict Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria.
The Islamists have set schools on fire, massacred students in their sleep and detonated bombs at university campus churches.
President Goodluck Jonathan has faced scathing criticism over the attacks and the pressure has mounted since the Chibok kidnappings.
Locals have scoured the bushlands of the remote region, pooling money to buy fuel for motorcycles and cars to conduct their own rescue effort, saying they have no confidence in the military’s search.
“The free movement of the kidnappers in huge convoys with their captives for two weeks without being traced by the military which claims to be working diligently to free the girls is unbelievable,” Bitrus told AFP.
Nigeria deployed thousands of additional troops to the northeast last year as part of an offensive aimed at crushing Boko Haram, but security experts say the military lacks the troops needed to fully cover the region.
The defence ministry on Friday said it had killed 40 insurgents near Sambisa Forest in an operation aimed at finding the kidnappers.
An organisation called Women for Peace and Justice has called for a “million-woman protest march” in the capital Abuja on Wednesday to demand that more resources be committed to securing the girls’ release.
While the group is unlikely to rally a crowd of that size, support for the movement has been growing on Twitter under #BringBackOurGirls.
“How is it possible in the age of drones and Google Maps and aerial shots that over 200 girls will vanish without a trace,” protest organiser Hadiza Bala Usman said in a statement.
Security sources have said it is possible the Islamists are using the hostages as sexual and domestic slaves.
Amid the rumours and lack of information, Mark said he feared some of the affected families “may take the law into their own hands”, while others may decide they can no longer cope.
“It is not everyone who can absorb this grief.”
Is this not enough for GEJ to resign. What a shame. Suppose the girl he married out recently was part of them will he have this lackadaisical attitude toward the saga. How do yu think the state governor can fight this when he is not in control of any force. This is a national shame. Your sycophants keeps on telling you not to worry that it is a northern agenda toward 2015. Must you win?. Whether you wil win or not but now you are in control. Everything shall be recorded against you. Even if it is northern agenda, are this innocents masses involved? Are you not their president C in C for that matter? Don't you have votes from muslim north? Are you not planning to have some? The worst president so far.
ReplyDeleteNorth Korean president resigned because of the drowned 400 or over 400 students. Chief of army staff should also resign with GEJ because their impact is not felt. They keep giving us false information. The girls were sold for 2k each, by who? These people should stop fooling us, they sit in their comfortable offices and dish out false info. Is it so difficult to gather intelligence. Lord have mercy. Why are we so laid back?. GEJ is keen on 2015 and nothing else matters to him as we speak. If civilians can go all the way to gather information, then the military has failed woefully. They
DeleteKnow where the insurgents are. Its really sad.
I have been following closely NE report on BOKO HARAM and always find out that the reports have never said that Muslims and Mosques have ever been attacked, only Christians and Churches... NE should be fair in its reporting.
DeleteJonathan has failed Nigerians ....... its sad
ReplyDeleteMr anonymous y don't u apply become d president and transform Nigeria's problem?you are outta ur mind. He is our president and deserves all our respect' enuf of the insulting to such a good man' Afteral it is pple like u who do not want him in that has sponsored BH to perpetrate crimes. Worst president Ever my Foot!
ReplyDelete@Benie Otobo; I very much know you are playing sentiments here, going by your name I am sure you are from Otuoke, the president's birthplace. Let us not be sentimental here, he is our president - yes, but when he is not performing let it be so said. I am from the South=South, but cannot shy away from the fact that we have a 'dead' presidency, period!!
DeleteYes President GEJ will go down in the history of Nigeria as the President that the Northeners did not allow to concerntrate.
ReplyDeleteJust heard that Borno First lady is planning a One million march to protest the release of the abducted girls.. Anonymous 11.36pm b4 u blame Joe, what will u do as C in C. Pls answer. Joe has ordered the his military chief to comb the whole area at the security meeting do we expect him to go to the bush or we re so quick to judge the man.
ReplyDeleteBorno first lady, Pls Pls arrange ur 1 million women to cry n beg their children n relatives the BH to release their daughters who re sisters to BH men since it's not Joe's children in captivity but their own children n sisters.
Marching to Abuja to protest and reigning blames on Joe is exactly the plan and agenda of the insurgents to destabilize gov't since we all know that it is not religiously motivated.
First Lady, Pls beg ur children the BH to release their sisters cos wen u protest to release the girls n the military goes all out n the insurgents kills the innocent girls then we will blame Joe again.
Let's all b wise esp Anonymous 11.36pm while waiting for your strategy if u were the C in C.
If ur son or daughter is among d abductees, as a father, would u b @ rest? Wuld u go out 2 work? If GEJ folow his soldiers 2 sambisa forest in d name of showing concern, it is not out of place. Lets b realistic wit ourselve.
DeleteWas it GEJ that formed the BH? The Northerners formed it to fight the Southerners living in the North. They are using BH to discredit GEJ administration. Those girls are in one Alhaji's compound just to discredit the GEJ administration.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I will direct a comment at anyone. It is sickening that a girl like Benie Otobo would make such a comment on an issue that most sensible people, especially women, are planning to protest. GEJ is first and foremost the Chief Security officer of this federation and has failed, woefully, to contain the insecurity in the Nothern states. To imply that BH is sponsored does not let him off the hook to find the sponsors and stop this cankerworm, instead of focussing on a 2015 election. Please tell me any other presidency where the extent of this terror was as bad as with this current one? He deserves NOTHING, because we did not force him to become president. He owes us the respect, peace, security and development that most right thinking NIGERIA
ReplyDeleteI would have joined the bandwagon for GJ to resign but since northern elders did not condemn that ex kano governor and others request to make Nigeria ungovernable I will back him to stay. However with regards to corruption getting much worse he has failed on those grounds and should leave. In fact he has allowed to many wrongs to go unpunished.
ReplyDeletewhere do they get this ridiculous information? the govt should squeeze the informants to get to the source of the information. Some of this people are culprits in this whole game playing out. As much as i wish this is a mere rumour, if it comes out to be true then it is unhealthy for the people and government of Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteumpire, if u ve managed pple in ur life u will understand that as a c in c he has a lot to bring out of a dead system or team. it is not magical but charisma and commitment to result. u can ve the best time make nothing out of the team. u can also have the worst time and give out the best result. it all depends on who is in charge. gej has no excus but jst to humble himself to accept failure of the team he leads. the military can only behave like their leader. no more no less.
ReplyDeleteTarani u are just another stupid, useless and an idiotic muslim just like the rest of your muslim fools and killers. we will not be Islamized, we will not serve your satan called allah, we don't want to live in same country with all u devil muslim allah worshippers! what else do u muslims want from us, please form your own country and leave the rest of us ALONE! MUMU IDIOTS!
ReplyDeleteWhat the article fails to reveal is that the northern governors, senators, emirs, imams,town leaders have been sponsors of Boko Haram for years, decades. They created the frankenstein monster and unleashed it in hopes of destabilizing the country politically because of the Christian president's bid for re election next year. They are pouting because there is an unspoken "rule" that South (Christian, traditionalist) should rotate power with the North (Muslim and shari'a) with every election. There is complicity in the terror attacks and known terrorists have been found in northerner governor's quarters dining. This is a complicated knot to undo. It is not what it appears to be. Add to that the discrepancy in numbers of girls kidnapped, with payouts of one million naira to each family who has lost a daughter. Many in Nigeria believe that the governors know exactly where the girls are and are using the situation as leverage to cause more unrest. They are also sponsoring marauding Fulani herdsman who many times do not even make the decoy of having cattle with them when they come into town, but carry AK47, burn, loot, rape and murder at will displacing mainly Christian farmers. The truth is that life is cheap in Nigeria, and it doesn't surprise me that the Northern elite would sacrifice their own. They have looted public/national office for decades, were handed power by the British to run roughshod over the S SE SW tribes and only recently did public uprising and militancy in the S SW establish a true democracy in Nigeria. The military is riddled with Muslims, meaning Boko sympathizers, and this has hindered the fight against them. The president sacked a handful of them in an effort to weed out the traitors. The enemies of Nigeria are within. The northern people do not see the man made boundary of Nigeria; their people ARE of Chad, Cameroon and Niger. The northerners talk out both sides of their mouth. The girls who were kidnapped for the most part know their captors, they are village members who have dined with them, visited them, gone to school with them. You have nephew killing Uncle for money, because Uncle is Christian. Without a doubt there are international terrorists funding them and amongst them, training them, but it is the Northerners who set this monster into motion. Nigeria needs to divide and separate. Reasonable people in the S SE SW do not want to be yoked with the North any longer. There is no common ground, not in religion, not in language, not in culture, there is only unending hospitality by the S SE SW absorbing Muslims into their traditional lands where they are free to build mosques, worship without fear of violence, open shops, banks, build houses, but there is no reciprocity if a Yoruba, Ijaw or Igbo tries to go up North and do the same. Most famously, years ago a group of Yoruba businessmen sitting prayer in a mosque in the North were murdered in cold blood. The North does not see anyone except themselves as the "Chosen Race". They are the mill stone around Nigeria;s neck. If Nigeria does not split up this is only going to get worse.
ReplyDeletethis is true talk abt 9ger,what a word.stay together with the northerners is like postponing the evil days ahead separation is the best option.
DeleteNE's reporting on BOKO HARAM has always indicated that only Christians and Churches are being attacked. no mention of innocent Muslims and Mosques were ever in their reports, just as reported in paragraph 14 in their report. NE should know that it should remain unbiased in its mode of reporting religious issues if it wants to be taking seriously.
ReplyDeleteIts so sad that up till the present day, Nigerians leaders still pretend they have a clue to the problems bedeviling this nation and we sank more into calamities on daily basis.wake up Nigerian youths, remember the ziks of this world,the awos, amaduubellos did not do those fit we speak about in there 50, 60,and 70s like we are having it today. Gowan was 27 if I'm in line with the history,only ziks of Africa was of a mature age to drive the revolution of there time, such attainments have become mirage in today Nigerian. If you're still sleeping you've got to wake up Nigerian youth,its now or never, all that's is happening now are in your dream God forbid if you sleep any minute further, posterity would wax stronger than you have ever seen today, wake up call to Nigerian youth!
ReplyDelete