FG has abandoned 112 Chibok school girls, MBF cries out

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has decried what it called “abandonment of the Chibok school girls by the federal government” since April 14, 2014 when they were abducted by the Boko Haram among 103 others.

In press statement by its national publicity secretary, Dr Isuwa Dogo, and issued to pressmen, Sunday, MBF said “the complete neglect to rescue the remaining 112 Chibok school girls out of a total number 219 abducted by Boko Haram terrorists while writing their final Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE) on April 14, 2014 is traumatic and devastating.”

It said, “The girls were rescued in two batches of 21, and 82, while four escaped individually at different times within the six years of their captivity in the terrorists’ den.  The rescued girls, comprising 103 in number were initially transferred to the Women Development Centre, Abuja, where they underwent Psychosocial Support (PSS) and treatment for Post Stress Traumatic Disorder (PTSD) facilitated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).”  

“Since May 2017 when they were rescued, rehabilitated and sent to the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola to prepare them to rewrite their SSCE, and proceed to various pre-degree programmes, neither the re-siting of the SSCE nor the pre-degree programme has seen the light of day.

“It is sad that the Presidency which had shown great enthusiasm on the fate of the girls when the sum of $2 million released by UNFPA under the Safe School Initiatives that was promoted by the UNICEF Education Ambassador and former UK Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown, has remained a mirage in salvaging the careers of the rescued girls.

“In the face of continued dark clouds of hopelessness hovering over them, we call on President Buhari to intervene and save the academic careers of these girls.

“We also call on Mr. President to ensure the destroyed school where the girls were kidnapped from being completely rebuilt and open for prospective school age children as the Chibok school is the only secondary school in Chibok LGA. We call on President Buhari to ensure the safe return of the remaining 112 school girls who are still under the captivity of Boko Haram.”

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