Elders of Chibok community in Borno State, where 234 girls were abducted by Boko Haram gunmen, yesterday alleged that the Federal Government had failed in its responsibility of rescuing the girls, two weeks after they were taken hostages.
Leader of the Chibok Elders Forum (CHEF) Dr. Pogu Bitrus, said 43 girls escaped from their captors; others are still being held in the forest by suspected insurgents.
He said: “As the Federal Government has failed to rescue these abducted girls, we as elders; have now handed our case over to the Almighty God; because government has already dashed our hopes on releasing the girls immediately and unconditionally to join their parents, who are still grieving with “hopelessness and fear”.
Bitrus said last week’s expanded security meeting hosted by President Goodluck Jonathan yielded no result even after expressed commitment to securing the release of the girls.
Bitrus said: “We are not also aware of any serious effort to secure the release of the girls. We heard that the military moved troops to the forests days back but we don’t know what they are doing.”
The Chibok elders said rumours that the insurgents were marrying off the girls to themselves may be true because of the report they got from those who escaped and joined their parents last week.
“All we know is that 234 of our daughters are in captivity. We are waiting on government, which is supposed to provide security and welfare for its citizens, to get them released and return them to their parents,” he said.
He added: “Government has not provided succour to the parents and to the girls themselves by getting them released. It is very disappointing when I read in the newspapers that America is trying to assist. What is wrong with Nigeria? We have a lot of unanswered questions and, as parents, we are still waiting for what the government will do to its citizens… these poor girls in their schools who were kidnapped. It worries us and this is now getting to two weeks.”
Speaking on parents’ mood, Bitrus said: “All parents are traumatised and since the parents went into the forest in search of their daughters before they were warned not to jeopardise the lives of their children and themselves, they retreated.
“We started having hope when the President hosted the expanded Security Council meeting where they said they were all committed to seeing that the girls were released, but up till today, nothing has happened, because we have not heard anything relating to the release of any of the girls .
“We are still waiting and we have surrendered everything to God, but the government should know that it has the primary responsibility to its citizens to secure the girls and return them to their parents.”
The fate of the abducted school girls also yesterday attracted the attention of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Vice-President of the NLC, Comrade Lucy Offiong speaking in Abuja yesterday during a Pre-May Day briefing described the security situation in the country as worrisome, saying groups willing to participate in the workers’ Day march past must undergo pre-accreditation.
On the abduction girls, she said: “The fate of these teenagers represents the future of our dear country. If a country cannot account for the whereabouts of young school girls who were, as reported by the news media, taken by armed men dressed in military uniforms in a convoy of several vehicles, then the universal belief that our collective future is in the hope that children will grow to do better that what older people are doing is hollow and hopeless.
“Our government and its security agencies must work round the clock and exert more energy to locate and rescue these children in record time before any harm is done to them as such harm should be considered as collective harm and a blister to our collective quest for progress and national greatness.”
She added: “The current siege on some parts of the country has had a lot of implications for both our economy and freedom to life and also the right to work. It has not only threatened lives and properties, it has also threatened productivity as workers now find it difficult to get to work and when they do, they conduct themselves under excruciating fearful circumstances,” she lamented.
On the May Day event, she said vehicles would park over 200meters away from the venue.
“Everyone coming to the venue must not carry bags because of the security situation. Vehicles should be parked at least 200meters away from the the Eagle square. We are also saying that as part of those measures, we are not going to allow just any group to come to the arena, and come and take part in the march pass.
“We have said that any group that wants to march that day at the arena should come and register with the protocol committee of this 2014 May Day so that they will be properly identified and accredited for security reasons.”
The theme of the 2014 May Day, according to her, is “Building enduring peace and unity: panacea for sustainable national development.”
She described the explosion at the Nyanya bus station as “the most devastating among several others, given the location and timing.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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