Parents call on FG to rescue the remaining kidnapped Chibok girls

The public is being urged to remember the 108 Chibok girls who are still being held captive by Boko Haram militants by members of the Chibok Parents Association.

They implored the authorities to persevere in its efforts to find and rescue the girls and return them.

The request was made during the “Statues Also Breathe” movie screening, which was sponsored by the CPA and the SAB Art Foundation.

The event took place in Lagos on Thursday and featured talks with two of the rescued girls, a representative of the CPA, and artists.

The movie shows how some of the recovered girls worked together to create sculptures and memorials for the remaining kidnapped victims.

Yahi Bwata, one of the parents of the Chibok children, recounted how, in 2014, fifty-seven of the kidnapped girls jumped out of the truck of their captors.

Additionally, he claimed that while former President Goodluck Jonathan assisted with the rescue effort, not much of an impact was made.

Journalist and media entrepreneur Kadaria Ahmad revealed, when translating Saratu Samuel’s letter from Hausa to English, that the father of the kidnapped girl passed away due to trauma from her abduction and protracted absence.

She said, “There are a lot of parents who are distressed, not knowing is perhaps the hardest thing. Her prayer is for everybody here who has a platform to continue ensuring that the story of the Chibok girls does not die. Thank you, everybody, for taking an interest, and please keep praying for their families.’

Ahmad further mentioned that the anguish of losing their daughters after the kidnapping claimed the lives of 48 parents of the Chibok girls.

Amina Ali and Jummai Mutah, two of the rescued girls, also gave speeches during the occasion.

They both recollected how they were taken, how they were saved, and how they were handling the shock of being taken hostage.

According to Dr. Olusegun Fajuyigbe, an associate professor at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife and a visual artist, the video was made possible through collaboration with French multidisciplinary artist Prune Nourry and Nigerian singer Ade Bantu.

Fajuyigbe said, ‘To the dismay of everyone, it looks like the remaining 108 girls have been forgotten, so the intention of Prune was to use arts as a tool of social awareness, transformation, and to help shed more light to the issue.”

276 pupils from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, were reportedly abducted by militants from Boko Haram in April 2014. It is said that 57 of the kidnapped jumped out of the kidnapper’s truck.

It is reported that 125 girls were set free from Boko Haram’s captivity as of April 2023. Among them were two Chibok girls, Hauwa Malta and Esther Marcus, who were saved by the military near Lagara, a Boko Haram stronghold in the Sambisa forest.

The PUNCH revealed in August 2023 that Mary Nkeki, another Chibok girl, had been saved by Operation Hadin Kai Theatre Command soldiers.

According to Maj. Gen. Gold Chibuisi, the Theatre Commander, Nkeki gave birth to two children for an insurgent named Adam, but the children passed away.