By Emmanuel Ogebe
More Nigerian Schoolkids have been abducted in past nine months than in previous seven years
The news of the escapes of Chibok schoolgirls Ruth Ngladra and Saratu Musa from terrorists within the last week after 7 years in abduction is deeply gratifying.
It is clearly a tribute to the triumph of the indomitable human spirit that they still desired freedom and ultimately got it.
I have communicated the news to the US congresswomen who traveled to Nigeria in 2014 and have actively advocated for the girls.
It is also a validation of a surprise call early this year that brought hope of more recently escaped Chibok girls. Although the Maiyanga family informed us that nothing more has been heard about Halima since January, as stated then, “it would be a really cruel hoax for anyone to do this to an innocent parent.”
The mystery surrounding the January phone call of Halima deepens as the recent escapes validate her story that several of them have escaped. As stated in February, “We spoke and confirmed from Mr Ali Maiyanga moments ago that he in fact spoke with his daughter today who informed him that she along with others were rescued.”
It is to be noted however that numerous times, one arm of government doesn’t know what the other is doing. Indeed during my detention by Gen. Abacha’s goons 25 years ago, the SSS did not know which agency was holding me as I was taken by the military and held in the presidential villa. This is why the US helped Nigeria establish a Terror Fusion Center in the aftermath of the Chibok abductions for aggregation of intelligence.
The secrecy around the return of both girls is unsettling for a government used to fanfare and circus-like exhibitionism.
We urge the Nigerian Federal government who have capacity through their Pegasus spyware to trace this mystery call from Halima as this is precisely what it is to be used for – anti-terrorism – and not spying on opposition.
It is disheartening that while we’re laboring with these old cases, fresh abductions were still occurring making Nigeria the school mass kidnapping Mecca of the world.
The combined effect of Boko Haram’s anti-education destruction and the bandit bazaar of kidnappings has made Nigeria one of the most dangerous places for school kids, threatening an increase in our 10 million out of school population. More schoolchildren have been abducted in the past nine months than in the previous seven years!
This is particularly sad as the Safe School’s Initiative’s efficacy is clearly invisible under the Buhari regime.
Similarly it is outrageous that during a week in which several churches were destroyed by Fulani militia including an orphanage in Plateau state, the government of Borno also demolished an EYN church unjustly and killed one of its members.
EYN has already lost 10,000 members to terrorism and the government cannot now be perpetrating similar terroristic acts on citizen. This is a huge disappointment by Gov Zullum’s administration which had appeared to be more progressive.
Sadly in the same pattern of secrecy, witnesses say their phones were confiscated by the government so they couldn’t record the church’s destruction by the state government.
The Borno State government is urged to promptly address this atrocity.
COMPARATIVE HISTORY OF ESCAPES
The most remarkable story of escape is Sola, arguably the world’s longest sex slave, who escaped after over 22 years captivity in the forest. Sola recently commemorated one year of her reunion with her daughter who is now married and has children of her own. She left behind a grown son and daughter with the islamist bandits.
Sola’s longevity in captivity is similar to the story of Guo Gangtang’s reunion with his son in China abducted 24 years ago.
There is therefore hope for these young Chibok women still after seven years.
Our intel is that several of them ran but were unfortunately recaptured by the terrorists who flogged them for trying to escape.
It was also reported that Leah and two of her schoolmates who were abducted from school in Dapchi in 2018 similarly escaped from the terror camp. Unfortunately they ran into Fulani Herdsmen who returned them to the terrorists after three days. Her two Muslim classmates were ultimately released with the others but Leah remains a captive to date – three and a half years – for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
Only this year, after 12 years, a teenager returned to his mum Rose – both pleasantly surprised to find each other alive. He was seven years old when Rose put him in a drum that fateful day…She put in a child and got back a teenaged man.
Incidentally Rose last year Rose met a US Presidential adviser who featured her in two his books – Martyrs Oath and Next Jihad.
It was an epic turn to a gut-wrenching tragedy. It is one of the finest redemptive moments in human rights work…this is an incredible testimony of hope and heroism. As I said then,
“This should be an inspiration to Leah’s relatives, the Chibok girls’ families and many others on the power of the resurrection.”
The first report of a sighting of a CHIBOK girl carrying ammunition for Boko Haram during an attack in Chibok was seven months after their 2014 abduction.
The girl communicated with a villager in the local Kibaku language and gave her a message for her mom named “Binta.”
After verifying that there was indeed a widowed Chibok parent named Binta, the message was relayed to her about the captive who identified as her daughter.
One year and six months later, that captive schoolgirl escaped with her baby and returned to her mum in May 2016. On the day of her escape, our database identified her accurately as Amina Ali who had sneaked a message to her mum during the November 2014 attack on Chibok. (The details of this remarkable incident are available in the book The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in Nigeria (Paperback) By Helon Habila associate professor of creative writing at George Mason University, USA)
This was the first major escape of a Chibok girl.
Emmanuel Ogebe is an international human rights lawyer and leader of the US-Nigeria Law Group
