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More Than 100 Chibok Girls Still Missing Seven Years Later

Timothy Obiezu

   ABUJA, NIGERIA - Nigeria's government has vowed to rescue 112 former
   schoolgirls believed to remain in Boko Haram captivity since they were
   kidnapped by the militants from the town of Chibok seven years ago.

   A statement titled "Chibok Girls Still on Our Minds" was released by
   the presidency Thursday as Nigeria marked the anniversary of the
   kidnapping in Borno state. But parents and advocates accuse authorities
   of negligence and making empty promises.

   "Seven years down, we're still asking for accountability and closure on
   112 of them?" said Allen Manasseh, the media and publicity head of the
   Chibok community. "It's unacceptable. So the only deliverables that we
   think will translate into making their statements sensible is to see
   the girls being rescued."
   Rebecca Samuel, mother of one of the abducted Chibok girls, cries
   during the 7th anniversary of the kidnapping, in Abuja, Nigeria, April
   14, 2021.

   Around 503 girls were at the school the night of the Boko Haram
   abduction in April 2014. Out of 276 taken, more than 100 were freed
   through negotiations, while others managed to escape.

   This week, to mark seven years of abduction, parents of the remaining
   girls gathered at the school to pray for their safe return.

   Manasseh said the government is mostly silent on the issue but merely
   targets anniversaries to issue statements.

   "I don't see anything changing ... we keep demanding accountability and
   we're not seeing it. Schools cannot be safe when you allow insurgents,
   when you allow terrorists to keep shifting the goalposts," Manasseh
   said.

   In recent months, several other mass kidnappings of students have
   occurred in northern Nigeria, leading to school closures.

   A new Amnesty International report said more than 600 schools in the
   north have closed due to insecurity since December.

   "We know, for example, in states like Katsina, Yobe, Kaduna and
   Zamfara, the authorities' only response to the abduction of
   schoolchildren is to close down schools, and this is something that is
   very worrying," said Seun Bakare, a spokesperson at Amnesty
   International.

   Nigeria has the highest number of school dropouts globally according to
   UNICEF, mostly due to insecurity in the north, where school enrollment
   and literacy levels are very low.

   While many parents continue to wait and hope, advocates and Amnesty
   International are urging authorities to make schools safer.