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| Chibok girls in new video. |
Parents and residents in the town of Chibok in Borno state, northeast Nigeria, were thrown into a state of mourning after they woke up with the news that about 276 females students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town by the dreaded Boko -Haram insurgents.
The tragic incident occurred on the 14th of April 2014 under the administration of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and with Kashim Shettima as the Governor of Borno state.
Since then, a lot of efforts have been made to ensure their release but all to no avail, which has led to some people describing the abduction as a 'scam' in some quarters.
Though 276 females students were kidnapped, about 57 of the schoolgirls managed to escape over the next few months.
Aftermath of the kidnap
After the school girls were kidnapped, a lot of conflicting reports floated the Nigerian media as regards the well-being of the girls as well as their whereabouts.
The Boko-Haram terrorists led by Abubakar Shakau, reportedly moved the school girls to a very thick and remote forest in Borno state, known as the "Sambisa forest".
Several reports had it that non- Muslim students were forced to convert to Islam, some of the girls were forced into marriage with members of Boko Haram, with a reputed 'bride price' of N2,000 each.
Reports also had it that some of the students were taken to the neighbouring countries of Cameroon and Chad.
Residents of Chibok also claimed to have seen the students crossing borders with the militants, and sightings of the students in Sambisa Forest.
Meanwhile, on 11th May, Gov. Shettima said he had sighted the abducted girls and that the girls were not taken across the borders of Chad or Cameroon.
Former President: Goodluck Jonathan's efforts to rescue the girls
On May 2nd 2014, police said they were still unclear as to the exact number of students kidnapped. They asked parents to provide documents so an official count could be made, as school records had been damaged in the attack.
On May 4th, former President, Jonathan spoke publicly about the kidnapping for the first time, saying the government was doing everything it could to find the missing girls. He however blamed parents for not supplying enough information about their missing children to the police.
On May 9th, former Boko-Haram negotiator, Shehu Sani revealed that the terrorists group wanted to swap the abducted girls for its jailed members.
On May 12th, Boko Haram released a video showing about 130 kidnapped girls, each clad in a hijab and a long Islamic chador and demanded a prisoner exchange.
On May 24th, a deal brokered by a journalist to secure the release of the girls in exchange for 100 Boko Haram prisoners held in Nigerian jails was scrapped after President Goodluck Jonathan consulted with U.S., Israeli, French and British foreign ministers in Paris, where the consensus was that no deals should be struck with terrorists, and that a solution involving force was required.
All efforts made by the Jonathan administration to rescue the girls proved abortive, with Boko-Haram leaders insisting that their commanders held in Nigerian prisons must be used in exchange for the abducted girls.
President: Muhammadu Buhari's efforts to rescue the girls
President Muhammadu Buhari during his campaign under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had promised to do everything possible to rescue the girls, a promise the parents of the abducted girls have called on the President to fulfill.
On 12th of June 2015, just two weeks after President Buhari was sworn in, he and his wife, Aisha Buhari and the Vice President's wife Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo met with some mothers of the abducted Chibok girls.
On 1st of October 2015 The Nigerian Military said it will not be in a hurry to rescue the abducted girls. The Acting Director, Defence Information, Military Headquarters, Abuja, Col. Rabe Abubakar, noted that while it was of utmost concern to the military to rescue the girls, the operation required adequate patience and planning.
In December 2015 President Buhari, said he was willing to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the Chibok girls without any preconditions.
On the 600th day of the Chibok Girl's abduction, a group of Nigeria experts in the United Kingdom known as the Nigeria Diaspora Security Forum (NDSF), called on the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to setup a Special Task-force tasked solely with the responsibility of looking for the girls.
In May 2016, President Buhari recorded what can best be described as the 'first success' of his administration as regards the freedom of the abducted girls, after one of the abducted girls, identified as Amina Ali Nkeki was rescued.
Amina who had a baby and was believed to have gotten married, however noted that she escaped from the Boko-Haram camp and was not rescued by the Nigerian Army as speculated when she regained freedom initially.
The couple and their daughter were found on the outskirts of Sambisa Forest in May. Her husband, identified as Mohammed Hayatu at the time of their escape, told a witness that he too had been kidnapped by Boko Haram.
Meanwhile, a new report earlier this week, revealed that Boko Haram demanded €5billion (about N1,706,850,000,000) from the Federal Government to free 219 Chibok girls, which President Buhari actually rejected.
These facts are contained in the book, “Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria”, authored by Prof. John Paden.
Today, Friday, October 7, 2016, made it 907 days of abduction and Oby Ezekwesili led Bring Back Our Girls Group (#BringBackOurGirls) have continued to call for their release with peaceful protests held at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Though it is not yet clear if the Federal Government have brokered a deal with the Boko-Haram insurgents, but there are indications that the girls might have a reunion with their parents this weekend after 2 years and 176 days of abduction.
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