Vigils, marches, prayers at fourth anniversary of Chibok kidnap
CHIBOK, Nigeria: Parents of the missing Chibok schoolgirls on Saturday marked the fourth anniversary of their daughters’ kidnapping by Boko Haram, renewing calls for their release and thousands of others seized in the bloody conflict in northeast Nigeria.
Mothers and fathers were among several thousand people who marched to the Government Girls Secondary School, where 276 girls were abducted on the evening of April 14, 2014.
Fifty-seven escaped in the immediate aftermath and four years on, 112 are still being held – a global symbol of the Islamist insurgency that has devastated the region.
A Nigerian journalist previously involved in negotiations with Boko Haram on Saturday said he had information that only 15 of the 112 were still alive. But the government said that information was “not known to the officials of this administration, either from the captors of the Chibok girls or the international intercessors who are working with us”.
In Chibok, parents whose daughters have been released wore white at the two-hour ceremony, while those whose daughters are still being held were dressed in black.
Hannatu Daudu, whose daughter Saratu, is among the captives told the emotional crowd: “Our only prayer is for our girls to be released and returned to us.
“We need to know if they are alive or dead. If they are alive, let them come back to us. If they are dead, let us know so we can at least pray for them and then overcome this grief. It is better to know if our daughters are dead than being left in suspense. This adds to our grief.”
The Chibok ceremony, which included Christian and Muslim prayers, was one of a number of vigils and protests to mark the four-year anniversary of the abduction across Nigeria.
Nigeria’s president in 2014, Goodluck Jonathan, was heavily criticised for his response to the Chibok abduction but the man who replaced him, Muhammadu Buhari, has had more success.
Since 2016, 107 girls have been found, released or escaped as part of a government deal with Boko Haram and the administration has said back-channel talks are ongoing for further releases and a possible end to the wider conflict.
Yakubu Nkeki, the head of the Chibok girls parents association, told AFP: “We are praying for every Nigerian who is in the custody of Boko Haram.
“Let the government do its best to see that every Nigerian citizen in the hands of Boko Haram is released during this year.”