On April 14th 2014, Boko Haram terrorists invaded Government Secondary School Chibok where hundreds of girls preparing to write their final exams were abducted.
It has been five years since that infamous abduction, which threw the entire world into mourning. For the families who lost their daughters and sisters in this attack, life has never been—and will never be—the same.
The kidnap of the Chibok girls drew international attention as some social groups started campaigns for the immediate release of the school girls. The social group that started the BringBackOurGirls campaign was the most popular as their hashtag went viral.
However, on this fifth anniversary of the kidnap of the schoolgirls, optimism is at its lowest; the families of the Chibok girls feel abandoned by the government and the entire world.
When President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, families of the kidnapped Chibok girls experienced a renewed optimism. They had hoped that the government would rescue the kidnapped pupils and crush Boko Haram within a few months. It was expected that the president would employ his knowledge as a former Army General in order to speed up rescue efforts.
As the world marks the fifth anniversary of the Chibok girls’ abduction, all optimism has vanished. The Boko Haram sect has continued its massacre. The terrorists have murdered thousands of people since the re-election of President Mohammadu Buhari. More men, women and children have been abducted, too. The terrorists use the men as fighters, the women as wives or sex slaves, and the children as suicide bombers.
It is now clear that the current administration has not only failed to bring back the Chibok girls but has also failed to end the decade-long violence as the terrorists have continued to launch attacks on churches, mosques, markets, military bases and strategic towns.
From all indications, it looks like hope is fading not only for the kidnapped girls and their families but also for those campaigning for their release. Five years ago there were many groups, journalists, activists, and celebrities, all pleading for the release of the girls. Today most of them have gone quiet.
It is our hope that as we mark another anniversary of the kidnap of the Chibok girls, that everyone will spare a thought for the girls in captivity and their families who live every day not knowing whether their loved ones are dead or alive.
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