Evidence that the seemingly endless wait for the rescue of the Chibok schoolgirls is gradually coming to an end emerged last Thursday when 21 of them regained their freedom after spending over 900 days in captivity. They were part of the 276 girls that were kidnapped, in a night raid by Boko Haram terrorists, from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014 as they were preparing for their Senior School Certificate Examinations. Some 57 of them managed to make good their escape when some of the vehicles conveying them on that ill-fated journey suffered a breakdown.
Although pressure had been mounting on the government from many quarters, especially from the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners, to ensure that the girls were freed from the Boko Haram enclave, by whatever means, the sudden announcement of their release still caught Nigerians unawares. Details of how they were rescued remain scanty, but it is obvious that while the government was pressing ahead with the military crackdown on the group, the negotiation option was never foreclosed.
Apparently, success in the battlefield, which has significantly degraded the Islamist terrorists, paved the way for a breakthrough in the negotiated settlement; it enabled the government to bargain from a position of strength. But the role played by the Swiss Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross has also proved to be very significant. It shows the limitless possibilities achievable by the involvement of the international community, especially those that have built capacity in handling such matters over the years. This is an option that should not be overlooked in the prosecution of the ongoing war against Boko Haram.
Understandably, relief, hope and endless joy have been the dominant moods since the girls were prised out of the filthy claws of the blood-thirsty terror group. These were obvious at the venue of the thanksgiving service held on Sunday, during which parents and the girls hugged and shed tears of joy at the reunion that none but the very few involved in the negotiation saw coming. This mood was aptly captured by one of the girls, Gloria Dame, who said, “I did not know that a day like this will come that we will be dancing and giving thanks to God.”
Their release is a stinging rebuke to former President, Goodluck Jonathan, on whose watch the girls were kidnapped, his wife, Patience, and the military commanders who failed to mount a rescue shortly after the abduction, preferring to live in denial. Not surprisingly, some of them now face accusations of embezzling funds meant for the prosecution of the Boko Haram war.
While the jubilant atmosphere persists, however, it is important not to forget the enormity of the task ahead. That jubilation should actually be tempered by the fact that about 197 other Chibok girls are still in the Boko Haram captivity. However, it is quite heartening that the government has said that another batch of a larger number of the girls would also breathe the air of freedom soon. It is an issue that should be handled expeditiously, especially now that confidence has been built between Boko Haram and the negotiators; the government has to build on the modest success of the release of the 21 girls.
Instructively, the choice of negotiation by the Nigerian government is not a sign of weakness, but an option that is becoming quite conventional in dealing with terrorist organisations. Even when they say that they cannot negotiate with terrorists, some of the most powerful countries in the world still fall back to that option, especially when the lives of their citizens are involved. That was the situation in May 2014, when the United States was forced to release five Taliban fighters from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in exchange for an American soldier, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held captive for five years. In a similar move, Israel, in October 2011, threw open its prison gates, allowing 1,027 Palestinian prisoners to walk home free in exchange for a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, also a sergeant, who was captured by Hamas in 2006.
Pending the delivery of another batch of girls, it is however pertinent to focus on the immediate task of rehabilitating the 21 girls. While in captivity, many of them went through untold hardship; their condition of daily survival could best be described as inhuman. Many were made to experience early motherhood through continuous rape and forced marriage to total strangers, as evident in the children they brought back home as emblems of their ordeal. Others were also reportedly enslaved and forced to convert to Islam. These are young girls who have seen so much in their short sojourn on earth. One detailed how they went “for one month and 10 days without food.” Their condition, therefore, requires special care and support to bring them back from the trauma that they have been through.
Aside from thorough medical examination to determine their state of health, there is also the little matter of their education. It was their pursuit of education in a part of the country where girl-child education is almost an aberration that brought about their travails. The only way to make sure that Boko Haram is defeated in their lives is to ensure that they return to school on scholarship to pursue their education to whatever level they can aspire to.
It is not yet clear how much was paid to free the girls from the shackles of Boko Haram, although the Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, and the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, would want everyone to believe that nothing was given in exchange. But, with Boko Haram still remaining a threat, what is the guarantee that more schoolgirls would not be kidnapped, prompting the need for more negotiations? The only solution is to get rid of Boko Haram once and for all. That is a task that must be done.
