Rejoicing with rescued girl. FGN must rescue all other captives

In yesterday's post I was joyful about the rescue of one of our #ChibokGirls. Today, the news is that she is not one of the 113 still in captivity: Nigeria's Chibok girls: Schoolgirl 'not one of 276'






Nonetheless, we rejoice with her family. She's one of thousands in captivity even though she's not one of our 113 #ChibokGirls. They all must be rescued. 

The BBC gives an excellent account of how the situation has unfolded thus far:

The fate of the Chibok girls

The Federal Government of Nigeria under the Muhammad Buhari administration is to be commended for continued efforts to rescue and negotiate the release of our #ChibokGirls and all abducted Nigerians. However, we urge the redoubling of efforts to rescue them all, and to bring peace and security to the Northeast where there are millions of people facing humanitarian crisis.  None of us is secure if some of us are insecure.

Another Chibok Schoolgirl Rescued, joining 82 released earlier

Another Chibok Schoolgirl Rescued

The news about the rescue of one more of our #ChibokGirls gives cause for optimism on the release/rescue of the 112 #ChibokGirls still in captivity.  The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is to be commended for its promise to #BringBackOurGirls. We urge that it redoubles the efforts to rescue them and all other abducted Nigerians from captivity. As the rescue or release happens, we urge the FGN to develop a comprehensive framework for cutting edge psychosocial care and long term support that create conditions for recovery as well as enhanced capacity to resume a modicum of normalcy in their lives.

It's wonderful that this young woman now joins the 82 of our #ChibokGirls who were released earlier this month, after negotiations undertaken by the ICRC on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria. We rejoice with them and their families. We hope that they will receive culturally appropriate psychosocial care that enables them to cope with the grave trauma experienced for over 3 years. 

The photo below shows the 82 young women with President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his cabinet.

This photo below is while they were waiting to be airlifted 

Below is while they were getting on helicopters that airlifted them.

We are happy to hear that our #ChibokGirls82 will be reunited with their families.  FG to reunite 82 Chibok girls with parents

To reiterate: It's important that these young women are given the best psychosocial care possible so they can regain a modicum of normalcy in their lives. It's great that UNFPA and UNICEF as well as other international agencies have expressed their readiness to help in this regard.  The Nigerian government should continue to take advantage of their offer.  However, it should also have its own comprehensive framework that gives an overarching structure to the relief work in the Northeast.  Below is the UNFPA's statement on this: 

Director's Statement and UNFPA Press Release on the Release of 82 Chibok Girls

Monday, 8 May 2017

Statement by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the UN Population Fund, on Release of 82 Chibok Girls

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 8 May 2017 –We, at UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, welcome the recent release of 82 more Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram. We call for the urgent release of the remaining girls and all other abductees.

UNFPA is fully prepared to provide the released girls with emergency reproductive health care, psychosocial counselling and other critical support. We have already deployed an emergency team of psychosocial counsellors and health professionals to help meet the freed girls’ critical needs.

UNFPA is already providing care and rehabilitation support to the 21 girls released last October. The Fund stands ready to extend such vital support to these 82 girls, as well as any others who may be released in the future.  

***

UNFPA on Standby to Provide Psychosocial Support, Reproductive Health Care to Just-Freed Chibok Girls

UNITED NATIONS, New York/Abuja, 8 May 2017—UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the release of an additional 82 Chibok girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram group, and is on standby to provide emergency reproductive health care, psychosocial counselling and other critical support to the survivors.

In partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, UNFPA continues to support women and girls who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. For the newly released Chibok girls, UNFPA has deployed an emergency team of psychosocial counsellors and health professionals to assist with the profiling of the girls, so their critical needs can be met.

The newly-released girls will also be part of a similar rehabilitation programme that was set up for the 21 Chibok girls who were released in October 2016. The programme is tailor-made to meet each girl’s specific needs of counselling, to help overcome the trauma endured after being held under captivity for more than three years. The programme includes, among others, access to quality education to bridge the learning gap created during the abduction, access to reproductive health care for their sexual well-being and rehabilitation support, and a skills-acquisition programme to ease their re-integration into their society. 

Since the start of the insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria, 6 in 10 girls are reported to have experienced a form of gender-based violence, and many have limited access to sexual and reproductive health care. UNFPA and partners have provided direct prevention and response services to 200,000 women and girl survivors, or at risk of gender-based violence through, its ‘safe spaces’ and community outreach. More than 3.5 million survivors have been reached with sexual and reproductive health care services, psychosocial support and counselling.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

In New York: Omar Gharzeddine, +1 212 297 5028, gharzeddine@unfpa.org

In Abuja: Lolade Johnson, Tel.: +234 705 111 1200, odaniel@unfpa.org

Kori Habib Tel.: Tel.: +234 803 450 0016, habib@unfpa.org

UNICEF's statement is as follows:
ABUJA, Nigeria, 7 May 2017 – “UNICEF welcomes Saturday’s release of over 80 of the girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at their school in Chibok over three years ago.
“It is heartening to know that the girls will be returning to their families who have been waiting for this day. They will face a long and difficult process to rebuild their lives after the indescribable horror and trauma they have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram.
"UNICEF is on standby to support the Nigerian authorities to provide the comprehensive psychosocial support and other specialized services needed. We will help reunite the girls with their families and make sure they can continue their education in a safe environment. Already staff at a UNICEF supported health clinic have been supporting immediate efforts to identify the girls and conduct medical check-ups before their onward transport.
“UNICEF calls on Boko Haram to end all grave violations against children, especially the abduction of children and the sexual abuse and forced marriage of girls.
“We commend the government for this important achievement in helping to protect children impacted by the conflict in northeast Nigeria but remain deeply concerned for the thousands of women and children still held in captivity by Boko Haram. Greater efforts must be made to bring them all to safety and home to their families.”
“UNICEF has a comprehensive response to help children who have been affected by the conflict in the Lake Chad Basin and works with national authorities to support hundreds of children and women who have escaped or been released from Boko Haram. Every child is unique and requires different levels of support, so there is no standard formula or defined timeframe for these children to recover. UNICEF is committed to doing whatever it takes, as long as it takes to help these children recover a sense of normalcy with our available resources.”
We should thank UNFPA and UNICEF but also keep reminding them of their promise.  Let's also not forget that 113 #ChibokGirls and thousands of Nigerian women and children remain in Boko Haram captivity.  Please continue to agitate for their rescue.
We are saddened that 112 of our #ChibokGirls remain in Boko Haram captivity. We can't imagine how their parents and families are feeling and are praying for the rescue of these 112 #ChibokGirls and all other Nigerians who remain in captivity. May God bless and strengthen them until they are rescued, hopefully sooner rather than later.

It's also important to realize that the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram goes beyond our #ChibokGirls.  For a good discussion on this, please read the UNICEF April 2016 report,  Beyond Chibok 

  

New Working Paper "Fleeing Boko Haram: The trauma of captivity & challenge of freedom"

TODAY it's 9 days to #Year3 of our #ChibokGirls abduction.  Two days ago, a Working Paper "Fleeing Boko Haram: The trauma of captivity & challenge of freedom" was published by Social Science Research Council's (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN). #BringBackOurGirls.  There have been earlier iterations.  

FLEEING BOKO HARAM: THE TRAUMA OF CAPTIVITY AND CHALLENGE OF FREEDOM 

MOJÚBÀOLÚ OLÚFÚNKÉ OKOME

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL | WORKING PAPERS 

AFRICAN PEACEBUILDING NETWORK APN WORKING PAPERS: NO. 11 

Here's the introduction:

Captivity and freedom are seen as opposites. To be captive is to be imprisoned, detained, confined. To be free is to have liberty, autonomy, free will. It seems logical to associate captivity with trauma, and freedom with an end to trauma. However, enduring elements of trauma challenge the notion of freedom, especially when considering possible psychological effects of long-term captivity. The assumption that the cessation of captivity and experience of freedom constitutes a peaceful, joyful, and self-determining existence may be highly problematic, as may be the social implications of freedom and the impact of responses by others to a person once in captivity but now “free.” This article conceives of the route traversed from captivity to freedom by the victims of Boko Haram (including the young female students abducted from a school in Chibok) as akin to walking a tightrope—a tense, tenuous, perilous, unstable process. It is not impossible to get to freedom, but successfully traversing the tightrope may require unbelievable, extraordinary luck. The surest way to get through is to have the requisite training. Experience also helps. The experience necessary for surmounting the odds need not be experience of abduction and its horrors, but experience with strategies on how to cope with trauma. Such strategies can be provided through culturally appropriate psychosocial support.

The full paper is available at:

http://www.ssrc.org/publications/view/fleeing-boko-haram-the-trauma-of-captivity-and-challenge-of-freedom/

#Countdownto3Years of our #ChibokGirls abduction

14 April 2014 when our #ChibokGirls were snatched is a “day that will live in infamy”

195 of them remain in captivity, together with thousands of other women and children.

Let's work together to call for their rescue and reunification with their families.

 #CountdownTo3YEARS #BBOG

#InternationalWomensDay Happy International Women's Day! #BringBackOurGirls

Happy International Women's Day!  #BringBackOurGirls!

Remembering Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, a formidable woman who fought colonialism & patriarchy. 

"You may have been born but not bred! Would you speak to your mother like that?"  Funmilayo Ransome Kuti to a British District Officer during the colonial era, in response to his telling Abeokuta women demonstrators: "shut up, you women!"

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was also Fela's mother, and mother of Olikoye Ransome Kuti, Beko Ransome Kuti and Dolupo Ransome Kuti. She was Wole Soyinka's aunt. For snippets on her, see: 

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti from a UNESCO site; and/or 

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti *Note that Fela was following his mother's example though, not the other way around. 

You can read about her on wikipedia: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti 

You can also read a bit about her and other Nigerian women activists in my chapter, “Unknown Soldier”: Women’s Radicalism, Activism and State Violence In 20th Century Nigeria at googlebooks. 

Google Books doesn't let you read the whole chapter, so, if you're interested, you can read this draft from this blog: “Unknown Soldier”: Women’s Radicalism and Activism and State Violence In 20th Century Nigeria. 

For an excellent book length study, see For Women and the Nation: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti of Nigeria by Cheryl Johnson-Odim and Nina Emma Mba.  

I'm also remembering Margaret Ekpo, pioneer in Nigerian politics & powerful women's rights activist.

For more information on Margaret Ekpo, see Women, Conflict and Politics: Assessing Margaret Ekpo’s Approach to Political Emancipation and Liberation in Nigeria by Nonso N. Bisonga and  E. E. Andrew­Essien

You can also see more about her on wikipedia: Margaret Ekpo

And NATIONAL HERO: Chief Mrs Margaret Ekpo Full Biography, Life And Works

#InternationalWomensDay

So today, International Women's Day, let's channel the spirits of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and Margaret Ekpo as we keep demanding: #BringBackOurGirls!

There's a women's strike today in the US.  I can't participate because I must teach.  But in my International Relations class, I'll do a teach-in on the Feminist critique of International Relations. In my African Gender Politics class, we'll do the usual--deconstruct, excavate, interrrogate the nature of patriarchy and women's resistance in its multiple forms. In solidarity with the sisters protesting, I will Wear RED in honor of International Women's Day.  I encourage you to do something too. Here's a link to information about the Women's March at noon in NYC today: NYC Women's March. Another Day Without Women March is scheduled for 4 pm 

Happy International Women's Day! #BringBackOurGirls!

#BringBackOurGirlsNYC Prayer Vigil Commemorating #Day1000 of Our #ChibokGirls Captivity

FOR RELEASE on January 8, 2017

Brooklyn, NY

#BringBackOurGirls #Day1000 

Today Sunday, January 8, 2017 will be 1,000 days since 276 schoolgirls were abducted from their High School in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria by terrorists in the early hours of April 14, 2014. 57 girls escaped within days of the abduction and 219 were taken into captivity.

Since then, 4 girls have been found on September 24, 2014; May 18, 2016; November 5, 2016 & January 5, 2017. 4 of them had infant children. The Federal Government with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Government successfully negotiated the release of 21 girls on October 13th, 2016. In the two years and nine months since their daughters were snatched away, 19 parents have died. 195 Chibok Girls remain in the hands of terrorists.

279  Abducted
   57  Escaped
     4  Found  
   21  Released
     4  Infants with our girls
   19 Parents dead
195 Still missing!

The #BringBackOurGirls Movement, which started in Abuja in April 2014, has spread nationally and internationally with BBOG groups at various times in Osogbo, Ibadan, London, Lagos, New York and Washington DC.  People from every continent show their support for the movement at milestone moments.  BringBackOurGIrls has a singularity of purpose, and a specific demand, for the government of Nigeria to ‘Bring back our girls, NOW and ALIVE’. The Chibok Girls, whose names and identities we know, are touchstones for all Nigerians who have been abducted by terrorists. We demand that the Federal Government of Nigeria fulfil its constitutional responsibility of securing and protecting the life of every Nigerian.

We are asking that the Federal Government work with other two tiers – local and state governments – to:
§  equip the police and see to their welfare
§  respond swiftly to, and communicate effectively about security incidents
§  identify citizens and document the names and other pertinent information on those who have gone missing as a result of conflict
§  prioritize rescue and preservation of life in security operations
§  protect girls and women from conflict, post-conflict situations and gender based violence
§   rehabilitate survivors according to international best practices
§  punish those corruptly diverting food and resources from Internally Displaced Persons and embattled communities.

The Abuja Family has provided leadership and achieved many successes towards the achievement of those objectives.  In Lagos, the BBOG Families from Falomo and Ejigbo have successfully engaged the Lagos State Executive; State Assembly members; Local Government Chairmen; and Federal Representatives over the past 1,000 days and they were received cordially.

In New York City,

•  We have rallied at Nigeria House and the United Nations;
•  We have rallied with members of the BringBackOurGirls Movement in Washington, DC;
• We have lobbied members of Congress, New York State Assembly, and New York City Council to speak out and call for our Chibok Girls Rescue;
• We rallied with Alicia Keys who joined us in calling for our Chibok Girls Rescue;
• We rallied with Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and jointly called for the rescue of our Chibok Girls and an end to Gender based violence. We also got the Empire State Building lit for our Chibok Girls
• We collaborated with Interfaith Leaders, including Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry and Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, in rallies and strategy sessions directed at advocating for our Chibok Girls rescue.
• We collaborated with other groups in rallies at Nigeria House in New York City, which were attended by the Mayor of the City of New York, The Comptroller, and numerous other state and local elected officials;
• We participated in rallies at City Hall sponsored by Council Members Laurie Cumbo, Debi Rose, Vanessa L. Gibson and the Speaker of the Council, and jointly called for our Chibok Girls rescue;
• The Brooklyn Borough President sponsored our first Interfaith Vigil and Rally on Mothers’ Day 2014.
• Council Member Debi Rose sponsored a Rally in Staten Island to call for our Chibok Girls’ Rescue.
• We have worked closely with UNWomen, United Methodist Women and UNFPA and other International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations to call for our Chibok Girls rescue.

BBOG members in New York City and Nigeria have established NGOs to tackle issues including support for IDP Camps, advocacy against people trafficking, fundraising for humanitarian support for victims of conflict around the country.

We have also kept the fate of the missing Chibok Girls at the forefront of people’s minds in collaboration with members of the movement worldwide.

Painfully, #Day1000 of their tragic abduction is on Sunday, January 8, 2017, an overdue time to bring this horrific saga to an end. The ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ families in Abuja, Lagos, New York & Washington, DC are therefore embarking on a series of activities for a period of one week to compel our Federal Government to accelerate the decision and actions necessary to bring back the rest of our Chibok Girls to their distressed parents and an anxiously waiting nation. Our actions shall also serve to remind Nigerians and the international community about the continued state of insecurity in Nigeria.

#Day1000 Global Week of Action January 7 – 14, 2017

Saturday, January 7th – Day 999
Lagos: Regular ‘Speak Out Saturday’ at Falomo Roundabout, Ikoyi. 11am – 1pm.
Washington, DC: Helon Habila, author of ‘The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in Nigeria’, will be in conversation with Emmanuel Ogebe, a Nigerian human rights lawyer and surrogate father to a few of the escaped girls who now live in the U.S. 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, DC 20008. 6pm.

Sunday, January 8th – Day 1,000
Abuja: Solidarity March. Unity Fountain. 3pm.
#BringBackOurGirlsNYC had an Interfaith Prayer Vigil at The House of the Lord Church, 415 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn from 4-6 pm. The #BBOGNYC Family will be joined by interfaith leaders including Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, National Minister, and Rev Karen S. Daughtry, Pastor, House of the Lord Church, Brooklyn, and Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid of The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood; elected officials from New York City and State, including New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, Leticia James, The New York City Public Advocate, Scott Stringer, The New York City Cmptroller, and New York City Council Member Laurie Cumbo; and Heads of UN Agencies and Working Groups like Dr. Natalia Kanem, UN Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA.
A second event by another Bring Back Our Girls group in New York: Solidarity March began at Society for Advancement of Judaism (SAJ), 15 West 86th Street, Manhattan at 12:30pm.
Washington, DC: Solidarity Vigil. Lafayette Park (Near the White House, between H Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW). 3:30 – 4:30pm.

Monday, January 9th – Day 1,001
Abuja: Solidarity March focused on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) - our Chibok Girls are themselves IDPs wherever they may be. The condition of IDPs in the Northeast is a humanitarian tragedy of immense proportion as reported by several agencies. Our Government is not responding with the required urgency.
Unity Fountain. 3pm.

Tuesday, January 10th – Day 1,002
Abuja: Solidarity March focused on Military Welfare - our Nigerian troops at the frontlines of the counter-insurgency deserve better. Videos have emerged where they have been seen scrambling for basic supplies like water. They allege that many are still ill-equipped and that some do not have arms, ammunition and proper clothing for the harsh weather. Some have been unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment for mutiny/treason for declining to fight without arms.
Unity Fountain. 3pm.

Wednesday, January 11th – Day 1,003
Abuja: Solidarity March focused on Corruption / Poor Governance - There is corruption and poor governance in all sectors of our society including in the judiciary. The situation of the IDPs and our troops is a manifestation of this cancer. Corruption and poor governance created the enabling context for our girls to be abducted. The same cancer of corruption is a key reason why they remain in captivity 1,000 days after. The recent revelation about the N500million budgeted for the rebuilding of the Government Secondary School, Chibok is further proof of this menace. The only sustainable way to fight corruption is transparency at all levels of government and immediate prosecution of defaulters.
Unity Fountain. 3pm.

Thursday, January 12th – Day 1,004
Abuja: Solidarity March focused on Endangered Education - Our Chibok Girls were abducted in their school. Education, especially girls’ education, is clearly under attack in Nigeria. We must unite to counter this and ensure that our children are safe and feel safe in school.
Unity Fountain. 3pm.

Friday, January 13th – Day 1,005
Abuja: Solidarity March focused on Girl-child Vulnerability - Our Chibok Girls represent the horrors of the violence that a girl-child is exposed to, and many times undergoes. Another recent example is that of Habiba Ishiaku, abducted and forcefully "married" at age 14 without her parents' knowledge, and 'converted' to another religion. This was done by the authority of the Emir of Katsina and the Katsina Emirate Council with the full knowledge and support of the Nigerian State.
Unity Fountain. 3pm.

Saturday, January 14th – Day 1,006
Abuja: Solidarity March focused on Insecurity – In Zamfara, Zaria, Jos, Enugu, Agatu, Southern Kaduna and other places, killings have taken place and continue with no consequences and no end in view. All Nigerian lives matter. No Nigerian is more Nigerian than any other Nigerian. We insist that our Federal Government must take every action necessary to restore dignity to EVERY Nigerian life.
Unity Fountain. 3pm.

From the book review to the marches, these issues have connections with and are relevant to our Chibok Girls and the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy.

What are we demanding? BRING BACK OUR GIRLS NOW AND ALIVE!
What do we want?             RESULTS FROM THE RESCUE OPERATION!
What are we asking for?    THE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!
When will we stop?           NOT UNTIL OUR GIRLS ARE BACK, AND ALIVE!
When will we stop?           NOT WITHOUT OUR DAUGHTERS!
Where are we from?          CHIBOK!
Where are we from?          NIGERIA!
What are we fighting for?   NIGERIA! THE FIGHT FOR THE CHIBOK GIRLS IS THE FIGHT FOR THE SOUL OF NIGERIA!

MR PRESIDENT, NO MORE EXCUSES!
MR PRESIDENT, NO MORE DELAYS!!
MR PRESIDENT, DECIDE NOW!!!
MR PRESIDENT, ACT NOW! WE WANT MORE RESULTS!!!!

Signed:
For and on behalf of #BringBackOurGirlsNYC

Safiya Bandele

Ademola Bello

Dionne P. Boissiere

Sherrie Russell-Brown

Tehilah Eisenstadt

Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome

Candice Rowser

Adejoke Tugbiyele

President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo, and our 21 released #ChibokGirls in October, 2016

Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome speaking at the Prayer Vigil

Dr. Candic Rowser, #BBOGNYC member & one of the speakers

The Congregation at the #Day1000 Prayer Vigil

Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, National Minister, The House of The Lord Church, Brooklyn gave words of encouragement and prayed for our #ChibokGirls and all captives, and the Benediction.

 Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid of The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood gave words of encouragement and prayed for our #ChibokGirls and all captives.

Iman Drammeh Nur, Executive Director and Founder of The Drammeh Institute recorded the event for posterity

Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, Pastor,  he House of The Lord Church, Brooklyn welcomed and encouraged the congregation 

New York City Council Member Laurie Cumbo was one of our speakers

Letitia James, Public Advocate of The City of New York was one of the speakers

Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome spoke

Dr. Natalia Kanem, United Nations Assistant Secretary General & Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA told us about UNFPA work in Northern Nigeria and other countries.

Dr. Natalia Kanem and Scott Stringer, New York City Comptroller

Preeti Potdar of UNFPA and graduate of Brooklyn College joined us

THE PROGRAM, p. 1

THE PROGRAM, p.2

THE PROGRAM, p.3

THE PROGRAM, p.4

THE PROGRAM, p.5

THE PROGRAM, p.6

New York State Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte spoke and also presented a Proclamation

Scott Stringe, NYC Comptroller stopped by.

Oluwaseyi Awoyomi, (Shayee) brought us divine music

The Daughtrys are staunch BBOGNYC supporters and staunch advocates for the rescue and release of Our ChibokGirls

Taking a call from one of the young women I mentor before the event began.

#1000DaysOn #BringBackOurGirls

It's #Day1000. It's a bittersweet celebration of our #ChibokGirls who are now free and praying that the 195 still in captivity and all other Nigerian captives of BH are rescued and reunited with their families. Still, we must prepare to give them long term culturally appropriate psychosocial support. And public education is necessary to help foster healing and reconciliation. Does Nigeria have a framework for this? Sadly, NO. This paper by Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome: 

The trauma of captivity and challenge of freedom: Nigerian schoolgirls walking the tightrope from Boko Haram captivity to freedom 

was commissioned by African Peacebuilders Network (APN) of the Social Science Research Council, and is scheduled to appear as a forthcoming publication of the APN Working Paper Series. Hope you will read it and make comments.

Join us at our Prayer Vigil from 4-6 pm, today, January 8, 2017, at The House of the Lord Church, 415 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn.

COMMEMORATION OF DAY1000 OF OUR CHIBOK GIRLS’ CAPTIVITY

THE HOUSE OF THE LORD CHURCH

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2017

4-6 PM

Program of Events

Opening/Call to Worship/Invocation

Words of Welcome and Encouragement

Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, Pastor, The House of the Lord Church, Brooklyn

Readings from Torah, Bible and Koran

Chyanne Starks and Tracy P Pognon

Our Chibok Girls (PowerPoint presentation) Dr. Candice Rowser

United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA support for women in conflict situation,

including survivors of Boko Haram abduction.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, Deputy Executive Director (Programme) and Assistant

Secretary-General, United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA

Call for our Chibok Girls rescue. Speak out against Gender Based

Violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations, and in support of Girls Education

Letitia James, Public Advocate for the City of New York

Mashup up of the "Bring Back Our Girls" song by Stephanie Ferrett &

Stephen A. Taylor. Music & drumming, Oluwaseyi Awoyomi, Shayee Arts Culture and Tours Inc.

Representative of Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, for Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid

Prayer for our Chibok Girls' rescue

The Anointed Voices of The House of The Lord Church

Prayer for our Chibok Girls' rescue Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, National Minister

The House of the Lord Church

A Call to #BringBackOurGirls at the NYS Assembly: Resolution K1447, Condemning Boko Haram

for its violent attacks, particularly the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, especially women and girls.

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte, 42nd Assembly District.

Statement urging the rescue of 195 abducted Chibok Secondary School girls

Scott M. Stringer, New York City Comptroller

#BringBackOurGirlsNowAndAlive: The 1,000 Day struggle to rescue our girls.

Professor Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome

African praise Medley with congregation singing along--Music & Drum.

Oluwaseyi Awoyomi, Shayee Arts Culture and Tours Inc.

Readings from Torah, Bible and Koran

Shania Jordan and Sheneze Jordan

A Call to Bring Back Chibok Girl Numbers 1-195

Professor Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome

Benediction and Blessing. Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, National Minister

The House of the Lord Church

Program recording by The Drammeh Institute

Invited

Council Member Inez Barron

NY State Assembly Member Charles Barron

Council Member Laurie Cumbo

A repast will be served in the Church's Fellowship Hall immediately following the service. Prepared by Hannah Tavares, Simple Pleasures.

SCRIPTURE FROM THE TORAH, HOLY BIBLE AND HOLY QURAN

Torah

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. Psalms 140:12

God has shown you, O Man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:17

 Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.  roverbs 21:15

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:24

But this is a people robbed and plundered, all of them are trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become a prey with no one to rescue, a spoil with no one to say, “Restore!” Who among you will give heed to this, who will attend and listen for the time to come?Isaiah 42:22-23

If in any of the towns in the land that the Lord your God is giving you there is a fellow-Israelite in need, then do not be selfish and refuse to help him. Instead, be generous and lend him as much as he needs.  Deuteronomy 15:7-8

 I, the Lord, command you to do what is just and right. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him. Do not ill-treat or oppress foreigners, orphans, or widows; and do not kill innocent people in this holy place. Jeremiah 22:3

The Holy Quran

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female, and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.  Quran 49:13

If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people; but He leaves straying whom He pleases, and He guides who He pleases; but ye shall certainly be called to account for all your actions. Quran 14:93

O ye who believe.  Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower ye have given them, except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary, live with them on a footing of kindness and equity....    Quran 4:19

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer, we will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.  Quran 97:16

Whoever intercedes in a good cause becomes a partner therein; and whoever recommends and helps an evil cause, shares in its burden: and Allah hath power over all things.  Quran 4:85

And slacken not in following up the enemy: if ye are suffering hardships, they are suffering similar hardships: but you hope from Allah what they have not.  And Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.  Quran 4:104

.....and do good - to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer ye meet, and what your right hands possess. For Allah loveth  not the arrogant, the vainglorious.  Quran 4:36

Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin.  Quran 15:31

Oh ye who believe.  Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves or your parents or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor, for Allah can best protect both.  Follow not the lusts of your hearts lest ye swerve, and if ye distort justice or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do. Quran 4:135

Even if the wrongdoers had all that there is on earth and, as much more, in vain would they offer it for ransom from the pain of chastisement on the Day of judgment;  but something will confront them from Allah which they could never have counted upon. (24:47)   For the evils of their deeds will confront them, and they will be completely encircled by that which they used to mock at. (24:48)   Nay, the evil results of their deeds overtook them. And for the wrong-doers of this generation, the evil results of their deeds will soon overtake them too, and they shall not escape. Quran 24:51

The Holy Bible

Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God. 1 John 3:17

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair

the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61: 1-4

Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!” – if you don’t give them the necessities of life? James 2:15-16

Learn to do right. See that justice is done — help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.  Isaiah 1:17

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people. Luke 4:18-19

None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others. 1 Corinthians 10:24

Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers. Romans 12:13

Don’t take advantage of the poor just because you can; don’t take advantage of those who stand helpless in court. The Lord will argue their case for them and threaten the life of anyone who threatens theirs. Proverbs 22:22-23

People of conscience must stand up to be counted. We must keep demanding that our #ChibokGirls and all other Nigerians abducted by Boko Haram are rescued and reunited with their families. Thank you for standing with us and for joining us in this prayer vigil for the rescue of our 195 #ChibokGirls and the thousands of girls and women still in Boko Haram captivity.

Do keep this struggle alive until all abducted Boko Haram captives are free.

APPRECIATION: Thanks for honoring our invitation go to Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, NYC Public Advocate Leticia James, UNFPA Deputy Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem, Chyanne Starks, Tracy P. Pognon, Shania and Sheneze Jordan, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Adeoluwa Adesanya, Lorenzo D. Chambers, and the epresentative of Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, for Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid,

Reverend Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, Shahara Jackson, Iman Drammeh-Nur, Laura Limuli, Pat Oduba, and Candice Rowser, without you, this program would have been impossible.