In Chibok, parents vow abducted daughters will return to school if…

Now my dream has turned to something else: The children and the farm are gone,” Ali Maiyanga, the father of two of the abducted Chibok school girls, said, as he revisited the heart-rending episode that has now become the nightmare of over 200 households in Borno State and the subject of the international campaign BringBackOurGirls.His […]

Now my dream has turned to something else: The children and the farm are gone,” Ali Maiyanga, the father of two of the abducted Chibok school girls, said, as he revisited the heart-rending episode that has now become the nightmare of over 200 households in Borno State and the subject of the international campaign BringBackOurGirls.
His daughters, Maryam and Halima, are among the 219 female students of the Government Secondary School Chibok that are still believed to be held in captivity by the Boko Haram insurgents since their abduction in April. Over 50 of the girls have escaped.
As Ali Maiyanga recounted the incident to our correspondent on Wednesday at his house in Askira Uba, about 32 kilometres to Chibok town, the strength in his voice faded, his gaze shrunk and his eyes became red.  Only when he delved into the issue of the girls’ possible release and his plans for them in the future did he regain his voice. “If they return alive, nothing will stop them from returning to school,” he said boldly. “One day, all these will be a story. Who would have believed all these things were going to happen? Who would have thought Madagali, Michika, Gulak, Gwoza and Bama would suffer this calamity? No doubt, all these will be history one day,” he emphasized.
A day before the kidnap, one of his daughters, Maryam, had visited home to ask for pocket money and food, enough that would last for them to sit their last paper, before the school would close. Her presence, without her sister, irked Ali Maiyanga. “I quarrelled why she would come without bringing her sister along. I was not having money at the time, and my plan was that if the two of them had come together, they would not go back for the last paper, because I did not have the money to transport them back,” he explained. “I didn’t know that she came to bid us farewell.”
After passing the night, Maryam’s mother raised some money for her to return to school. About 12 midnight, on the same day, Maryam called home to say that Boko Haram insurgents have invaded their school. “Before the phone could be handed to me, the line had been disconnected. Her mother could not reply her either. I visited Chibok the next day and saw that all the school has been burnt down,” he recalled.
The father said parents of the abducted girls had thought that law enforcement agents would go after the insurgents immediately, as some locals had reported that one of the vehicles conveying the girls broke down on the way, forcing the occupants to proceed on foot.
“Some of the girls who escaped came to my house and sympathized with me over my daughters. One of them told me that Maryam was seated next to her in the vehicle and that she was scared of jumping down, as others did,” he narrated.
Even though he lost two daughters to the sect members, Maiyanga said no government official from the local government, state or  federal level has come to console him, either on personal or official capacity.
The incident has since taken a heavy toll on his family members. One of his wives became hypertensive and suffered a miscarriage. The other, overwhelmed by the thought of it, missed her step and sustain a fracture on the leg. “Now I find it difficult to buy drugs for them,” Maiyanga said.
The father told Sunday Trust that he had listened to the news of a ceasefire between government and the Boko Haram over the radio and that he had been praying it became a reality. “If the negotiation is going to work, that is our prayer and even if the story is not true, we have been praying that God makes it to be true, so that we can have our children back.
“The thought always running in our minds is whether or not they are alive. In what state, if they are alive? If they are dead, what about their remains?”he asked.
Ali Maiyanga said he was seriously doubting the ceasefire agreement being touted by government, basing his reasons on the non-release of the girls, despite early announcement that they would be set free in the coming days. “I gave out my radio set yesterday because I could no longer bear listening to the lies that we were being fed us. Take Cameroon, for example, it was after they had rescued their citizens that they came out to tell the whole world. Why is our own different? Why can’t we wait until the girls are released first before we come out to announce it?
“Our comfort lies in the belief that no power, knowledge or might can avert or change God’s decree. So we are praying to Him to rescue them,” he added.
At Chibok town, the expectations are high, much as the doubts and defiance. At the Huntako area of the town, three door-to-door neighbouring families share the same pains. Ayuba Bukar is the eldest member of the families. The insurgents went along with his daughter, Saratu Ayuba, 18. He was aware of the ceasefire declaration and through the same medium, he has been informed that the insurgents were not respecting it. “The people who are holding our daughters are still fighting. They attacked Abadam and killed many people, while we are still being told about ceasefire, negotiation and release of our daughters. I don’t believe any man can release our daughters, only God can do that,” he held, as his back leant on a wall.    
Saratu’s mother, Rifkatu Ayuba, was even more optimistic about the release, until “a religious leader” went on the radio and said they were being deceived. That claim, she recalled, killed the enthusiasm that the ceasefire announcement had sparked in her. “We had already started celebrating before we heard that comment. Whenever I remember that I have not set my eyes on my daughter for over six months, I get down and weep. People plead with me to stop crying but I cannot, because only I know what it feels,” she said.  
“If Saratu is released today, I will attempt to put her on my back and dance, even though I’m aware it will be difficult because I’m old,” Rifkatu said, smiling at the prospects.
Malam Adamu Musa is the father of Naomi Adamu, who is also being held by Boko Haram. He has heard about the release over the radio, he said, adding that nothing new had been said about it for two days. “The doctor at the General Hospital in Chibok also gathered us and told us about the release,” the man, who sired nine other children after Naomi, said. “After the information about ceasefire, the Boko Haram people attacked Damboa (about 30 kilometres way). You said it has stopped but people are still being killed,” Adamu queried.
But his wife, Paulo, said her daughter’s return would entail a lot. “It will be more than just a feast or celebration because I will cry and I will shed tears. Let us just pray God to bring them back, then every other thing will follow,” she explained. “She will also continue with her education,” the mother added.
But Rifakatu drive home the point more forcefully: “The celebration will not be for us alone, because as we are sad over the incident, our neighbours and the world are also sad. So, when we would be happy, our neighbours and the world would be happy too. All those people who have never set their eyes on our children but wept for their travails, would equally celebrate.”    
 Like the other parents, Rifkatu said her daughter would never abandon school “no matter what.” Her sentiment was espoused by the representative of the district head of Chibok, Malam Muhammad Usman. “Because of this, we will not stop our children from going to school, as we will not live in darkness. We take it to be from God and it will come to pass. Some people have attended schools before them and others will still follow after them,” he vowed.