Parents
of over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect in Chibok in 2014 have
asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately rescue the girls from
captivity or resign.
The
parents, who joined the #BringBackOurGirls
coalition on Thursday for another protest march to the Presidential Villa, were
again stopped by armed policemen.
A
representative of the parents, Rev. Enoch Mark, accused the Federal Government
of not doing enough to rescue the girls, saying the government should negotiate
for their release.
Mark,
whose two daughters were among the 219 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram, said
he suffered a stroke while worrying about his daughters.
He
insisted that Buhari must negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the
schoolgirls.
He
said, “We cast our votes for Buhari because he promised to rescue our girls.
Now, the parents are asking you, Mr. President, to meet the insurgents and make
a decision.
“Either
use the military force or go for negotiation; some countries are ready to give
you a helping hand. What are you waiting for? Are you not interested in
bringing back our girls?
“We
have intelligence agencies in Nigeria; there is nothing in this country that
they don’t know. Why didn’t you give them orders to bring back our girls?
“Are
you not a General? You know what is happening and you know where our daughters
are. Buhari, if you feel that you are incapable of rescuing the girls, step
down now and give it (power) to someone else. We have many intelligent persons
in the country who can handle this situation. You cannot tell us that you don’t
know where the girls are.”
Mark,
who uses a walking stick, accused the Federal Government of not communicating
with the parents of the abducted girls.
He
cited the Malaysian government’s handling of the Malaysian MH370 air crash,
noting that the government regularly communicated with the families of the
crash victims during the incident.
“For
two months now, I have not been able to sleep; I had stroke while thinking of
my two daughters. General Buhari, had your daughters been among these girls,
how will you feel? How will you feel with your daughter in enemies’ hands? You
are responsible for the rescue of these girls. You are responsible for my
daughters’ safety.
“When
the Malaysian plane crashed, the Malaysian government was in touch with the
families of the victims, but you are not talking to Chibok girls’ parents,” he
added.
The
aggrieved father said Buhari did not empathise with the Chibok parents when
they visited him at the Presidential Villa in January.
“You
intimidated us; you said you were frustrated, you were not happy with us. Are
we not Nigerians? If Buhari feels he does not know (the girls’ location), let him
step down and hand over to someone else,” Mark added.
The
Co-convener, BBOG,
Oby Ezekwesili, who read a statement on behalf of the group, said the members
would march to the Presidential Villa again in 72 hours if there was no
positive response from the Federal Government.
The
group noted the attack on Shawa Village in the Askira Uba Local Government Area
of Borno State and acknowledged the courage and gallantry of the soldiers in
the frontlines, including the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Civilian
JTF, and urged them to remain resilient in the face of attacks.
The
BBOG called for an investigation into the handling of salaries and emoluments
of troops, saying complaints about their poor feeding and allowances were
unacceptable.
It
challenged the government to demonstrate the political will to rescue the girls
by taking a definite action on the issue.
It
said, “Reports from a former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, after a meeting with
Mr. President suggest that the Federal Government’s position remains a lack of
credible intelligence.
“Coming
over seven months since our engagement with Mr. President on January 14, and
considering the lack of feedback on rescue efforts, this strengthens the
position that there has been no focused, coherent and consistent operation to
rescue our girls.
“Having
submitted four cogent reasons why it could not be said that there is a lack of
credible intelligence during our meeting in January, and three further reasons
just three days ago, the discussion must shift from credible intelligence to
political will to decide on a line of action.”
The
BBOG said the claim by the military that it had fatally injured Boko Haram
leader, Abubakar Shekau, made it the fourth time that the security forces had
announced that they had killed the terrorist.
Also,
the Chibok community, in a statement by its spokesman, Dr Manasseh Allen,
reiterated its calls for negotiation with Boko Haram for the release of the
girls.
It
said the escape of one of the girls, Amina Ali, in May 2016 had bridged the gap
of absence of intelligence and called on the government and its agencies to
live up to their duties.
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