Parents of the kidnapped Chibok girls and other Chibok community members have pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to free the captive girls still alive.
This was stated in a New Year’s open letter that Yana Galang and Zanna Lawan signed and addressed to the President.
The memo reminded Buhari of his commitment to seeing that the hostages taken almost nine years ago are freed.
276 female pupils from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014.
While 96 are still missing, a total of 180 people have been located at various points, some of them with children.
In his inaugural address on May 29, 2015, President Buhari said: “But we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents. This government will do all it can to rescue them alive.” The parents recalled that statement.
They also reminded him of his promise from five years ago on April 14, 2019, when the abduction made international headlines: “We will not rest until all the remaining girls are back and reunited with their families. I vowed to keep this promise when I was elected president.
96 of their daughters “remain in Boko Haram captivity, subjected to unimaginable ordeal and abuse at the hands of their captors,” the parents claimed, months before the end of his term.
The neighborhood added that they hoped 2022’s eighth-year memorial would be the last.
“Eight years is too long for a child to be denied the love and care of her family. We demand that you make true your promise and bring joy back to our lives, as you hand over to another President,” the letter concluded.
