On the night of 14–15 April 2014, a group of militants attacked your school (Government Girls Secondary School) in Chibok community and took over 200 of you away from the reach of your parents and loved one’s. You were taken away by bokoharam terrorists group without any trace, leaving all concerned people devastated.
However, since you were abducted, many Nigerians have been expressing their worries about your whereabouts including this writer which prompted this letter.
This writer is one of the many concerned Nigerians who are constantly worried about your contineous imprisonment by the inhuman murderers (bokoharam).
I am not writing this letter out of joy, but rather, with sadness. I am sad because, despite knowing you are in the hands of insane terrorists who kill at will, I couldn’t do much to save you than to protest. I wish I can do much more than that, but I can’t and I am sad.
It is worth to also note that, I and the entire Nigerian people are not the only sad people, many across the world also share in our sadness and as such, they express their solidarity through global protest and offer of assistance.
Although, I do not know what the terrorists want from you, neither do I know how it feels to be kidnapped in such a cruel manner, but one thing I know for sure is that you are sad and lonely, helpless and feeling abandoned. It is such a traumatizing experience you are going through and I feel so concerned and worried about your condition.
I am hoping that you are still living, healthy and hopeful to be rescued. Please don’t loose hope, God is with you.
My beautiful sisters, I do not know if you are reading this letter, but I know you are in the hands of God, he will never abandon you. Moreover, the prayers of the over 170million Nigerians are with you, our prayers shall not go unanswered.
Just for your information, let me explain what has been happening since you were abducted 3 months ago and efforts made so far by all stake holders to secure your release.
When the news of your abduction was broken to the president of Nigeria who happens to be the commander in chief saddled with the primary responsibility of protecting your lives, he never believed you were kidnapped, neither did he take any action to prevent your abductors from succeeding in their plans. He simply faint ignorance of any incident and went ahead to kano for his political rally,where he danced ‘’first of all” with his fellow party men and women.
However, Many prominent Nigerians criticize such insensibility as it co-incidized with a deadly bomb blast which occurred in Nyanya, Abuja and claimed over 100 lives.
Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo also criticize the manner the government is handling your kidnapping, saying the president thought it was a hoax.
According to former president Obasanjo, “The president did not believe that those girls were abducted for almost 18 days,” adding that the president’s initial reaction affected the operation.
“If the president got the information within 12 hours of the act and he reacted immediately, I believe those girls would have been rescued within 24 hours, maximum 48 hours,” he stated.
But the lack of prompt response by the president denied us any detail about your ware-about.
Until after 3 weeks of your abduction, president Goodluck Jonathan never made any public statement regarding it. He simply went about his normal activities as if nothing ever happened. Our government showed no sense of duty,sense of urgency nor sense of responsibility.
The lack of sense of urgency further manifests when Amnesty International later said it believes the Nigerian military had four hours advanced warning of your kidnapping, but they failed to send reinforcements to protect your school. Nigeria’s armed forces also confirmed that the Nigerian military had four hour advance notice of the attack but that their over-extended forces were unable to mobilize reinforcements.
Furthermore, the military that should equally take adequate measures to secure your release after the abduction released a statement over the 19–20 April weekend, that said you all had been rescued. The nation went agog in jubilation upon hearing the good news, but that information was later proven to be false and the military statement was retracted on 21 April. If nothing, your continued stay in custody of the terrorist certainly prove the army were not truthful about their announcement and many begin to wonder why the army would engage in such an unholy proclamation.
While president Jonathan and the military continue to play politics with your lives, patriotic Nigerians under the aegis of bringbackourgirls have continued to demand for adequate government actions toward your release.
The brinkbackourgirls team is constituted by men and women from all walks of life, north, south, Christians and Muslims all working together for one purpose, bringbackourgirls.
As they continue to protest your abduction on a daily basis, our cries were heard all over the world from US to Britain, Saudi to Isreal, Iran to Europe and all over the world. This ensures a global solidarity towards our cause and so far, almost every country around the world had joined the call to brink you back home, we shall not stop until you are back home safe.
In addition, Since you have been abducted, the bringbackourgirls team had been protesting at the unity fountain in Abuja, demanding you should be brought back home. We have protested, cried, grieved and prayed for your return,we are hopeful that you shall return no matter how long it takes. We won’t give up on you.
Let me also inform you that, it was reported that a journalist-brokered a deal to secure your release in exchange for bokoharam terrorists held in Nigerian jails , but this writer along with many other Nigerians objected to such exchange. The objection wasn’t because we didn’t care, but because we see it as posing even a greater danger for the nation.
For example, when the news of your abduction broke out, a deadly bomb blast occurred in Nyanya Abuja killing over 100 people. Investigation from security agencies indicated that the attack was carried by 5 bokoharam terrorists. This writer reasoned that, if 5 terrorists could launch an attack that killed over 100 people, exchanging such terrorist isn’t a wise decision, as it would empower the militant group with more man power to carryout their evil agenda.
If you were exchanged with 100 terrorist for example, the 100 terrorist could kill even a thousand people. Therefore, we think such exchange isn’t right and I stood by that decision.
It is however regretable that the Nigerian government which should ordinarilly lead in seeking your return do not take you serious, they see everyone demanding your safe return as an enemy, or an opposition that should be silenced. If not, why will a ban be placed on protest to bring you back home?
The Fct police commissioner, Joseph Mbu declared that the bringbackourgirls team had been banned from holding any protest in regard to the abducted girls. He vow to crush and ruthlessly deal with anyone protesting about your condition. However, bringbackourgirls went to court to challenged such senseless ban which was a clear violation of our fundamental human rights as guaranteed in the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and before our court case even commenced, the Inspector General of police, Alhaji Muhammed Abubakar reverse the ban since that was the right thing for any reasonable police officer who is guided by law and common sense.
With that reversal, the bringbackuorgirls team are still much protesting at the unity fountain to demand your safe return. We will keep intensifying our efforts until you are back home.
It is equally regretable to note that the federal government under president Goodluck Jonathan which Ngerians voted for to protect lives and properties is not ready to do the needful. Instead of channelling all efforts towards bringing you back home, he his only concerned with winning 2015 election.
In an efforts to prevent bringbackourgirls from further protesting at the unity fountain,president Jonathan and his men had employed the services of some misguided citizens to disrupt the daily protest at unity fountain with their campaign for 2015 election. While you are in the hands of murderous terrorists courtesy of their failure to protect you as promised when they were sworn into office, they invaded bringbackourgirls camp with music for Jonathan re-election. To them, it doesn’t matter if you live or die, what mattered is 2015 election.
They made it clear to all with their actions that, your life is worthless provided they are re-elected in 2015. Though in their words, they claim to be concerned about you.
Your parents whom apart from yourselves are the major victims of this cruelty have taken note of the insensibility of our government, all young girls in Nigeria also took note of it, and parents who know what it means to lost a child also took note. The entire Nigerian people have taken adequate note of this inhuman actions.
While we keep praying that God keep you safe wherever you are, we promise not to relent in our efforts to bring you back home safely.
We shall not be discouraged by the nonechallant attitude of our government, neither would we be fraustrated by their tactics to force us to abandone our quest for your release, we shall continue to demand that “bringbackourgirls’’.
Until they bring you home, we will never give up on you.
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Abdulrazaq O Hamzat can be reached on discus4now@yahoo.com
