Last week, at midnight, Islamist extremist invaded a boarding school in Chibok, Bornu State, the north-eastern region of Nigeria and kidnapped more than 200 girls and young women. Some of them were recalled to sit their exams after schools had been closed for weeks due to security threats in this area. The terrorist group Boko Haram, whose name translates to “western education is sinful”, notorious for their violent campaign against what they deem to be western influences, is alleged to be behind this atrocious act. In the past they have invaded schools, kidnapped girls to use as sex slaves, burnt students alive whilst they slept etc. The week before 75 people were killed and about 140 injured in a bomb blast in Abuja which they claim responsibility for.
A number of the girls escaped by putting their lives at risk jumping from the trucks they were kidnapped in or hiding in the thick of the forest. Lord knows the fate of the others still in captivity. It is too awful to even think about but we keep them in our prayers. Parents, of their own accord, went into the forest in search of their daughters but to no avail.
Therefore I join the thousands who have taken to Social Media to demand that the government act NOW to get our girls back. Please show your support and tweet with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls to let the Nigerian government know that its failure to act, failure to bring back our girls is nothing short of an atrocity in itself.