14 Days to 4 Years of Captivity for 112 of Our #ChibokGirls

Easter is coming. Many are preparing for a celebration. Like the parents and families of our #ChibokGirls, we are heartbroken because it's 14 Days to 4 Years of captivity for 112 of our #ChibokGirls. Leah Sharibu, one of the #DapchiGirls and many other Nigerians are also in Boko Haram hands. Please redouble your efforts to ask for their rescue and reunification with their families.

#BringBackOurGirlsNYC:  WHAT YOU CAN DO

We initially witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of support from all over the world by ordinary people, students, politicians, community leaders and entertainers urging the world to '#bringbackourgirls'. This global activism fortified those within the country and kept the pressure on the Nigerian government to take credible action.  However, it has now been almost 4 years and many have forgotten about the plight of the Chibok Girls, 112 of whom remain in captivity.

More is needed today to remind the world that the #ChibokGirls are #NeverToBeForgotten!  Here’s what you can do!

1)     Additional pressure must be brought to bear on the Nigerian government to make the issue of the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons a priority; commit to greater transparency; and provide daily briefings where information can be shared with families of abductees and the general public.  As such, diplomatic missions and embassies around the world should be targeted for lobby visits, phone calls, and public demonstrations.  Please write to the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja, Nigeria (InformationOffice@state.gov) Telephone: (234)-9-461-4000; Fax: (234)-9-461-4036and ask him to demand that the Nigerian government move with urgency and make the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria a priority.

2)     International organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, as well as intergovernmental agencies like UN Women, 405 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 Tel: +1 646 781-4400 Fax: +1 646 781-4444, UN Office for the Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba – Under-Secretary-General 405 East 42nd St New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212-963-0807; Fabienne Vinet Tel: 212-963-5986, email: vinet@un.org. UN Office for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict led by Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten (andersonl@un.org); 212-963-0910, must continue to demand respect for the rule of law and the rights of women.  Please write to them and ask that they join the rallying cry for the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria.

3)     We applaud but urge additional efforts by the international community to host comprehensive dialogues on addressing extremism.  This global issue needs global responses that do not solely rely on militarized responses.  Please continue to rally, protest, march and create dialogue on this issue until the Chibok Girls are returned.

4)     As a diaspora, we appreciate the outpouring of help and support.  However, we want Nigeria to remain independent, autonomous, and sovereign.  We nonetheless encourage U.S. citizens to call their representatives to express appreciation for efforts already taken, while simultaneously urging greater action in partnership with the efforts of the Nigerian government which we believe should remain in the foreground in restoring these girls to normalcy and guaranteeing the security and well-being of all its people.

5)     Take a personal pledge to amplify the silenced voices of the Chibok Girls and/or become a #ChibokGirlsAmbassador until all the girls are returned home. 

15 Days to 4 years of Captivity for our #ChibokGirls

TODAY, Good Friday, it's 15 Days to 4 Years of captivity for 112 of our #ChibokGirls Leah Sharibu, one of the #DapchiGirls and many other Nigerians are also in Boko Haram hands. Please redouble your efforts to ask for their rescue and reunification with their families.

16 Days to 4 Years of Captivity for 112 of Our #ChibokGirls

In 16 Days, 112 of our #ChibokGirls would have been in Boko Haram captivity for 4 years. Leah Sharibu, one of the #DapchiGirls and many other Nigerians are also in Boko Haram hands. Please redouble your efforts to ask for their rescue and reunification with their families.

#BringBackOurGirlsNYC  

WHAT YOU CAN DO

We initially witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of support from all over the world by ordinary people, students, politicians, community leaders and entertainers urging the world to '#bringbackourgirls'. This global activism fortified those within the country and kept the pressure on the Nigerian government to take credible action.  However, it has now been almost 4 years and many have forgotten about the plight of the Chibok Girls, 112 of whom remain in captivity.

More is needed today to remind the world that the #ChibokGirls are #NeverToBeForgotten!  Here’s what you can do!

1)     Additional pressure must be brought to bear on the Nigerian government to make the issue of the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons a priority; commit to greater transparency; and provide daily briefings where information can be shared with families of abductees and the general public.  As such, diplomatic missions and embassies around the world should be targeted for lobby visits, phone calls, and public demonstrations.  Please write to the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja, Nigeria (InformationOffice@state.gov) Telephone: (234)-9-461-4000; Fax: (234)-9-461-4036and ask him to demand that the Nigerian government move with urgency and make the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria a priority.

2)     International organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, as well as intergovernmental agencies like UN Women, 405 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 Tel: +1 646 781-4400 Fax: +1 646 781-4444, UN Office for the Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba – Under-Secretary-General 405 East 42nd St New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212-963-0807; Fabienne Vinet Tel: 212-963-5986, email: vinet@un.org. UN Office for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict led by Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten (andersonl@un.org); 212-963-0910, must continue to demand respect for the rule of law and the rights of women.  Please write to them and ask that they join the rallying cry for the return of the Chibok Girls and other abducted persons in Nigeria.

3)     We applaud but urge additional efforts by the international community to host comprehensive dialogues on addressing extremism.  This global issue needs global responses that do not solely rely on militarized responses.  Please continue to rally, protest, march and create dialogue on this issue until the Chibok Girls are returned.

4)     As a diaspora, we appreciate the outpouring of help and support.  However, we want Nigeria to remain independent, autonomous, and sovereign.  We nonetheless encourage U.S. citizens to call their representatives to express appreciation for efforts already taken, while simultaneously urging greater action in partnership with the efforts of the Nigerian government which we believe should remain in the foreground in restoring these girls to normalcy and guaranteeing the security and well-being of all its people.

5)     Take a personal pledge to amplify the silenced voices of the Chibok Girls and/or become a #ChibokGirlsAmbassador until all the girls are returned home. 

18 Days to 4 years of our #ChibokGirls Captivity

In 18 days, 112 of our #ChibokGirls would have been in Boko Haram captivity. Leah Sharibu who was abducted from Dapchi is also still in captivity, as are thousands of other Nigerians. Keep calling for their rescue and reunification with their families. Please also share with your social media and other networks. #BringBackOurGirls!

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FROM PARENTS OF THE CHIBOK GIRLS

For release on March 24, 2018

PRESS RELEASE

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES

SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FROM PARENTS OF THE CHIBOK GIRLS

Speaking from the home of President Olusegun Obasanjo, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, due to his work behind the scenes supporting government efforts to secure the release of our children, we, the Chibok parents, express our joy at the release of the Dapchi Girls, our sorrow at the tragic loss of 5 girls, continued captivity of 112 of our daughters from Chibok, and 1 of our daughters from Dapchi.

The meeting with President Obasanjo is one of several meetings we will be having to seek advice and counsel, to garner high level support for unrelenting pressure to free our daughters.  Witnessing the happy return of the Dapchi girls by the government, has given us renewed hope that we will soon be reunited with our daughters after 4 years of agonising separation.  

Today, Saturday 24^th March, students around America and the world are raising their voices against violence in schools.  They are tired of seeing their classmates killed and living in fear. We, the Chibok parents, express our solidarity with all other parents affected by shootings, killings, and kidnappings in schools in Nigeria and elsewhere.  We join the students in their demands for a safe place to learn.

We believe these peaceful voices will galvanise action by the government and political leaders to protect students, ensure Safe School policies are implemented, and assure access to education without fear of violence.

As we know, only too well in Nigeria, violence against students in our country has assumed increasingly deadly dimensions.

§  On February 25, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists attacked Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State and killed 59 male students in cold blood. To date, their families have not recovered, and no one has even been arrested for the crime.

§  Barely two months later on April 14, 2014, the same terrorists invaded Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State and abducted 276 female students, our children.  While over 100 of the Chibok girls either escaped or were released through negotiation, 112 of our daughters remain in the clutches of the terrorists. There has only been one conviction in 2018.

§  In May 2017, six students of the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe, Lagos State were kidnapped and only released after 65 days of trauma for the students and their families.

§  Only recently, on Feb 19, 2018, 110 students of the Government Girls’ Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State were kidnapped and held for 31 days.  5 girls tragically lost their lives, and one girl remains in captivity. 

We empathise with the traumatized parents of the returned girls, the deceased girls, and Leah Sharibu’s parents.  Sadly, we are intimately familiar, with what they are experiencing now.  Twenty one days from now on April 14^th, 2018 it will be exactly 4 years since our children were forcibly removed from the school where we thought they would be safe.

We are glad that our solidarity visit to Dapchi on Wednesday 21^st March, coincided with the safe return of 105 girls and one boy.  We pray that others will also be there to share in our own joy when our girls come back home.

We call on national, regional and global influencers and authorities to support the Nigerian government to bring our nightmare to an end, and to take measures so that we can send our remaining children to school with peace of mind, and give them an opportunity for a better future.

We thank President Obasanjo for inviting us to sit with him and benefit from his advice and counsel.  They say that it takes a village to raise a child; we call on our entire nation to pray for us and our daughters, to work together with the government, and use whatever contacts and resources you have to urgently bring our girls home safely before. 

For: Association of Parents of Chibok Girls

Signed:

Yakubu Nkeki             Yana Galang               Zanna Lawan