The stolen roses of Chibok

It is 22 days now since these roses have been in captivity and there seems to be no progress in terms of recovering them. This kind of incident, where such a large number of school children was stolen, is probably the first anywhere in the world. There is something remarkable in the way Nigerians reacted […]

It is 22 days now since these roses have been in captivity and there seems to be no progress in terms of recovering them. This kind of incident, where such a large number of school children was stolen, is probably the first anywhere in the world.
There is something remarkable in the way Nigerians reacted to the kidnapping of these girls. From Abuja to Ibadan, Kano and Lagos, citizens have demonstrated against this ugly incident, not as Christians, Muslims, Northerners or Southerners but as Nigerians genuinely concerned about the fate of their younger compatriots. They have demanded that the government takes responsibility and rescue these young girls and return them to their parents.
The stealing of these girls is a national calamity; it is the summit of national embarrassment. The girls were stolen under a state of emergency. Even if there was no emergency, the stealing of such a large number of girls ought not to be that easy for any group. One begins to get the impression that the country’s security agencies lack the capacity to secure the citizenry. Where are the intelligence personnel? Doesn’t Nigeria have intelligence personnel capable of keeping tab on these criminals and their activities? If that is the case, then it is time to stop pretending; it is time to seek for assistance from appropriate countries to solve this puzzle.
Now, the Northern States Christian and Elders Forum, an affiliate of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is as usual attempting to break the national solidarity over the abduction of these girls. After releasing their names on Sunday, 4th May, 2014, CAN claimed that Chibok is 90% Christian and the majority of the girls are Christians. So what? CAN also asked why Chibok was targeted by the criminals. How unfortunate! CAN has forgotten so soon that before Chibok, there was Buni Yadi where 59 students were slaughtered allegedly by Boko Haram? In any case, can CAN or anybody select targets for criminals? Does the faith of the victims matter? But CAN wasn’t alone; while women across the country were demanding for the release of the Chibok girls, Kema Chikwe, PDP’s Women Leader  was asking for names and photographs of the girls to convince her and others that they were truly kidnapped.
The president’s wife, Patience Jonathan, also summoned her own meeting of wives of governors, female legislators, etc, and raised questions about why the girls were targeted, and why were the boys, teachers and officials of the West African Examinations Council spared by the kidnappers? Mrs Jonathan named a committee to be chaired by the wife of the Bornu State Governor “to shed light on the controversies surrounding the abduction.” It appears that having failed to make any headway in rescuing the kidnapped Chibok girls, this government and its sympathisers are pushing the blame unto others and abdicating responsibility. But whether these girls are truly kidnapped or not; whether they are hidden in Sambisa or in the Bornu State Government House, the Nigerian government has a duty to find them and establish the facts. The parents are united in their grief in the disappearance of their wards in the last 22 days, and this is irrespective of their religions. Nigerians are one in their demand that these girls are found. Let there be no room for religious sentiment as CAN is attempting to do. If the Bornu State governor is to produce the abducted girls, is Seriake Dickson or Emmanuel Uduaghan also to produce oil thieves and its illegal local refiners? Was Peter Obi able to produce the kidnappers in Anambra or Gabriel Suswam, the Fulani herdsmen said to be killing the Tiv and burning their homes? Nigerians know that it is squarely the responsibility of the Jonathan administration to return the Chibok girls to their parents, safe and sound.
It is amazing that in all of this, we have not heard from the Women for Change Initiative and the National Council of Women Societies; we haven’t also heard from the Minister of Women and Social Development, Zainab Maina, nor have we hear from the ministers of finance, petroleum resources, ICT, etc, who are women. We also haven’t heard from Olisa Metuh, the spokesman of the ruling party, who seems to possess this uncanny ability to tell who is behind terrorist activities.
Why is it easy for Nigeria to host World Economic Forum but difficult for the country to summon a meeting of the Heads of States of Chad, Cameroun, Niger, etc, to discuss these security challenges and request for their assistance?
The problem with this saga is that there is no official information about it. Parents of the girls say they don’t hear anything from the government. Elsewhere, responsible governments open communication lines and periodically hold news conferences to inform the public about unfolding developments during such sad situations; but Chibok parents say the Nigerian government has left them to themselves.
The emerging tales of the abducted girls being forcibly married for pittance to strange people and dispersed in the border villages of Chad, Cameroun and Niger must be distressing for everyone. It is such a heinous offence in the sight of Allah to abduct innocent girls and abuse them. Only the parents of the girls can quantify the amount of sadness that is gnawing at their hearts. The president has, as usual with his style, set up a committee on the abduction and, for the first time, spoke to the country about the problem in his Media Chat on Sunday. Just how soon will we recover the stolen roses of Chibok?