As Nigerians gather, either at home or at various places of relaxation, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ today, perhaps, it will also be appropriate to pause for a moment and spare a thought for the missing girls of Chibok. For three years running, 197 innocent young Nigerian girls who were spirited away from their familiar world into some fate unknown will be spending the Christmas away from the warmth and conviviality of their family members and loved ones.
While millions of other children will be turning out beautifully in their best attire and eating the best food that can be provided by their parents, in tune with the mood of the season, the Chibok girls will be holed up in some remote parts of the Sambisa Forest, assailed and buffeted by the harsh, dusty and chilly dry weather of this harmattan period. Under the watchful eyes of their deranged captors, bemoaning the cruel hand of fate upon their lives, they may not even be aware that it is Christmas today, except they have access to the calendar, or any other recognised means of counting days and months.
It is unfortunate that the issue of the Chibok girls is still as relevant today as it was on April 14, 2014 when they were taken hostage by the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, as they were preparing for their final examination at the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. There is no justifiable reason for the girls to continue to remain in captivity 286 days after they were captured, except because the country they called theirs has failed them. For how long will they have to remain in the enclave of the blood-thirsty Islamists before they eventually breathe the air of freedom again?
The 197 girls still in captivity were part of a larger group of 276 that were forcibly taken away on that fateful night. But over 50 had the courage to make a bolt for it when one of the vehicles conveying them broke down. The number of those in captivity further dwindled to 197 when 21 of the girls were released on October 13 after a negotiated settlement between the government and the terrorists, a deal facilitated by some international agencies.
But even the hope raised by the rescue of the 21 girls and the promise of the imminent release of another and bigger batch seems to be all fading rapidly into the past. The euphoria has fast receded and nothing seems to be forthcoming from the government ever since then. Even the #BringBackOurGirls group that had spearheaded the campaign of keeping the government on its toes and appealing to Nigerians not to move on appears to have actually moved on itself, perhaps, frustrated by the negative perception of their campaign by government sycophants.
Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu as well as their committed and dedicated band of campaigners do not have to despair or allow the general attitude of indifference of Nigerians to put them down. It is often said that nothing good comes easy. Who knows, maybe the modest achievement so far of seeing the return of 21 girls might not have been possible without the pressure they mounted on the government and the sense of awareness they created that caught on with the rest of the world. The activists deserve our applause.
They should be encouraged by the interest taken in their campaign by people around the world, people such as Michelle Obama, David Cameron, Ban Ki-moon and other world leaders that kindled hope that something urgent would be done to rescue the girls. That is why they do not have to give up.
On the part of the government, it is important to put on record the ground that has so far been covered, with the liberation of the territory hitherto occupied by Boko Haram. It is easy for the government to now be boasting that Boko Haram has been defeated; but there can be no victory without prising the girls out of the filthy hands of the depraved extremists.
The Nigerian government missed the gains of striking when the iron was hot by failing to go after the abductors in the early days of the crime, when it was still laborious and encumbering to fend off an offensive from the Nigerian troops and at the same time protect their captives numbering close to 300. The mistake should not be repeated. The window of negotiation that led to the release of the 21 girls should be kept open no matter the intensity of the battle on the field.
Nobody should be deceived that this is a battle that is going to end easily. No. If anything, it is going to be a long-drawn-out war that will test the mettle of the Nigerian state. The Chibok girls should not be made to bear the brunt of it. If the Americans that make a public show of not ever negotiating with terrorists could go ahead to do so for the purpose of saving the lives of its citizens, there is no reason why Nigeria should not do the same.
It is also important to note that the rescue of the girls is being unduly prolonged because we strongly believe enough intelligence is not being deployed in the task. Our intelligence agencies should be able to determine the location of the girls. By now, there is no reason why the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, should not have been taken out the way the allied forces have been taking out the leadership of both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. There is no doubt that the killing of Osama bin Laden substantially weakened al-Qaeda. By getting Shekau and other psychopathic Boko Haram commanders, for instance, the Nigerian state will be placing herself in a stronger position to force the group into negotiation and concession that will result in the release of the girls.
After the third Christmas in captivity, everything should be done to ensure that it is the last in that condition for the girls. This is our hope.
