#BringBackOurGirls marks 100 days of Chibok girls’ abduction

• Says Nigerians will not be silenced

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The #BringBackOurGirls campaign today marks the 100th day since the abduction of 276 girls in a secondary school in Chibok, Borno state, saying Nigerians will not be silenced until the girls are returned home safely to their parents.

It could be recalled that 57 of the girls escaped and 219 still remain in captivity.

The group, in a statement issued yesterday by Hadiza Bala Usman, said the families and community have suffered deep anguish seeking effective rescue to end the peril that befell their daughters, who had gone to school in search of knowledge.

“In those 100 days, the #BringBackOurGirls campaign has focused on creating awareness of the abduction, to ensure that it is a priority issue requiring action and compelling the right sets of action for a positive outcome. We have engaged various stakeholders – the Presidency, the National Assembly, the office of the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defense Staff, the Borno State Government & other State Governments, ECOWAS member countries and UN agencies to name a few.

“Through our various meetings, our singular message has been to demand that the Federal Government perform its fundamental duty of ensuring the security and the welfare of its citizens. As we denounce the wave of terror and insecurity across the country, we continue to demand that the Federal Government deploy its resources to ensure that the missing girls are brought home, and the errors leading from three-weeks of delayed action are remedied”.

The statement said citizens who have insisted on standing with the girls and ensuring they are not forgotten are heartbroken that their daughters and sisters are about to spend 100 days with their evil captors.

It said the group will amplify its voice in demanding that the girls be brought home, by organising various campaigns in some parts of the country.