Boko Haram Shut Down Schools

 
Abduction of schoolgirls fuels uncertainty over resumption of classes
Malum and Fatima appeared downcast as they clutched their textbooks on their chest on this very hot evening in front of a house that has provided refuge for them for about a month now. They were forced to relocate to a relation’s house in Maiduguri metropolis following persistent attacks in Bama, their hometown, 78 kilometres away from the state capital. Like every other school in Borno, their school was shut down following threats by Boko Haram insurgents and 13-year-old Malum and his sister, Fatima, said they are unhappy they had to leave the school in a hurry.
“I was not happy when the school authority asked us to go home but what would the prin­cipal do when the situation was not conducive for us to contin­ue to stay in school. It is better to leave than staying there and then be attacked by some peo­ple. I’m unhappy now because I don’t really know when we’re going back to school or if the school is safe from kidnappers,” Malum said apparently referring to the last week’s abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok.
Malum and Fati were not the only students troubled with the uncertainty over resumption of schools in Borno especially after the initial shut down, thousands of parents, guardians and other students are equally worried, pointing out that the Chibok incident still creates fear in them. “Frankly, It’s quite difficult for me to release my children to return to school now. The Chibok incident is very unfortunate but it also remind us as (parents) that there is a new challenge to the insecurity in our state. We don’t know the intention or next plan of the Boko Haram,” a parent who did not want his name in print said.
It is exactly 14 days today when over 200 teenagers of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok were whisked away from their hostel at dusk in their night-wears by Boko Haram insurgents in military camouflage. The abductors had reportedly faked to be security troops assisting the innocent girls to escape from supposed attackers unknown to the girls the men were the real enemies.
Like a thief in the night, they marched the hapless girls into two Sport Utility Vehi­cles (SUV), a lorry and many motorcycles, brandishing their guns and in a jiffy, sped off, driving dangerously toward an unknown, long and very lonely road in the bush believed to be Sambisa Forest, a renowned Boko Haram hideout. From that moment, the story of optimism by the girls to complete their SSCE and return to the bo­som of their beloved parents turned to despair, anguish and uncertainty. Early in the week, affected parents told Governor Kashim Shettima during his visit to Chibok that “234 students are still unaccounted for,” a figure far higher than what authorities (state government and military) earlier released.
But the Borno Commissioner of Education, Inuwa Kubo said schools will, however, resume early next month as scheduled despite shutting down mid March, three weeks earlier than expected closing date for sec­ond term holiday. “No, the Chi­bok incident may not actually affect resumption of all schools in the state. School will open as scheduled except in Chibok where the incident happened. They have to wait until situation improves,” he told Sunday Sun.
Abductors killed our joy –Parents
Parents of the kidnapped schoolgirls said the abduc­tors of their daughters have killed their joy, adding that the incident was a big blow to the community. Lucky Maita, uncle to one of the abducted daugh­ters said the kidnappers have turned their hope to gloom. “This problem has taken away our happiness. We are wounded beyond understanding. These daughters are our hope and future. As future mothers, they are the link between the present and next generation. Today (Fri­day) is the twelfth day and we haven’t seen our daughters. We are more pained because the security are not telling us any­thing,” Maita said in a telephone interview with Sunday Sun.
He said he has looked forward to congratulating his brother when his niece would have completed her final exams after spending six years in the school but his hope suddenly turned to despair. “I didn’t even know the girl was in the school on that day until afternoon when we started checking. My brother almost passed away. It is still like a nightmare to him now and to all of us in the family too,” he added, even as he declined to mention the name of the girl and her neighbour’s too, saying that “could jeopardize their safety in the hands of the abductors if they get to read it in the newspapers.”
Father of one of the abduct­ed girl, Lamin Chibok said the parents were unhappy with the government. His words: “We are not happy with our Federal Government. Honest­ly, we are not satisfied with the way they are handling the incident, maybe because the daughters of the big men are not involved. Look at what the Malaysian government is doing about missing plane. They’re putting a lot of their resourc­es there to get to the bottom of the situation, they’re not even giving up. I went to the bush myself in search of my two daughters and came back disappointed but we didn’t see  the presence of the military at all. So we don’t know what is happening.”
Military reacts
Reacting, Director of Defence Information, Major Gen Chris Olukolade said the military’s rescue mission was in progress, urging parents and Nigerians to be patience. “Peo­ple should not lose patience and confidence in the ability of the security agencies in the country to handle the situation. Typical of terrorists, they want to cause more confusion and the earlier the people under­stand the need to support the security agencies and regard terrorists as our common en­emies, the better for all of us,” he said in an interaction with journalists in Maiduguri last Thursday during a workshop on military-media relations.
Olukolade said the search for the abducted teenagers by the military continues despite initial perception but insisted the military would prefer to concentrate on doing its job than joining issues with other persons or institutions. “We have a duty to accomplish to our people and we will not shy away from our responsibility,” he declared.
Divine intervention to the rescue
Residents of Maiduguri have called for divine intervention despite military operation to rescue the kidnapped girls. The state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) last Monday declared a day of prayer with fast. “We are call­ing on all Christians in Borno State, Nigeria and the world to fast and pray for the release of the girls said to have been kid­napped by the Jamatu Alisunah Lidawati Al Jihad. Let us see how God will intervene,” Rev Titus Pona, CAN state chair­man said. Lucky whose niece was among the kidnapped girls also disclosed that the affect­ed parents and entire Chibok community have commenced prayers to seek divine inter­vention.
Also, a coalition of women rights organizations in Bor­no under the the auspices of BAOBAB Women’s Rights last Wednesday said they are seek­ing divine intervention even as they threatened to embark on a trip to the abductors’ den in Sambisa Forest to appeal to them to free the innocent girls. Prof Hauwa Abdul Biu who led the women at press briefing said “the abduction of inno­cent young girls violates their human rights,” describing the act as a crime against humani­ty. “We are ready to go into the bush if we get somebody to lead us. We will like to go there to appeal to the Boko Haram men to free our daughters,” the women declared. The fate of the abducted girls remains uncertain as at press time. A Security source described the controversies surrounding the figure of missing students as unnecessary, saying the state government would have played down claims that the girls es­caped from their abductors so as not to give the Bomo Haram men opportunity to tighten security around the remaining schoolgirls.
Source:sunnewsonline.com