PART 1: FADING HOPES Three months after its schoolgirls vanished into the clutches of Boko Haram militants, Chibok has become the town that ...
PART 1: FADING HOPES
Three months after its schoolgirls vanished into the clutches of Boko Haram militants, Chibok has become the town that never sleeps. For the mothers of those missing from this dusty northern Nigerian town, nightfall is a time when rest proves impossible, when three hours of fitful dozing is the most one can hope for. And for the fathers, it is a time for round the-clock-vigils, patrolling the edges of town in case of yet more attacks.
With Nigerian security forces now belatedly stationed around Chibok, there should be no need for neighbourhood watch duty. Yet two weeks ago, in a sign of how thin the government's writ still runs, Boko Haramattacked two villages just six miles away, killing more than 30 people and razing four churches to the ground.
"We have no idea when they might suddenly attack again," said Henry Wasi*, 46, whose 16-year-old daughter is among the 223 girls still missing."My wife is praying every day at the church, because she knows it is now only God who will bring back our girls."
From left: Michelle Obama, Cara Delevingne and Malala Yousafzai call for the girls to be returned
It wasn't supposed to be this way. Until recently, it was not the Almighty that Chibok's residents were pinning their hopes on, but a social media campaign called #bringbackourgirls, which aimed to galvanise the Nigerian government into action by highlighting the plight of the girls around the world.
Backed by everyone from Angelina Jolie to William Hague and Michelle Obama, it sparked demonstrations across Nigeria and the wider world, and pledges of assistance both Britain, France and America - all desperate to stop Boko Haram's cackling leader, Abubakar Shekau, making good on his videotaped promise to sell the girls off as bush wives.
For the past two months, British and US hostage negotiators and intelligence teams have been assisting their Nigerian counterparts on the ground. And in the air, US drone planes have been scouring northern Nigeria's vast expanses of scrubland, forests and mountains, mapping every road, track and bush trail to garner clues as to where the girls might be.
So far, though, the girls are yet to be brought back. SAS-style rescues have been ruled out as too risky. Plans to swap the hostages for jailed Boko Haram prisoners - first revealed by The Telegraph two months ago - have come to nothing amid pressure from Western governments not to deal with terrorists. Claims by senior Nigerian military chiefs to have located the kidnappers' hideout last month turned out to be nonsense. And a subsequent news blackout imposed on the case by President Goodluck Jonathan, who has argued that it is the only way to preserve operational security, has only served to fuel the sense of conspiracy and intrigue.
In Chibok and elsewhere, it is not hard to find Nigerians who believe their government has quietly closed the book on the affair. Lurid rumours abound that the girls have already been impregnated by Boko Haram militants, or sold for £12-a-head in the dusty slave markets of neighbouring Niger and Cameroon.
Small wonder then, too, that many of Chibok's families say they have now lost all hope in ever seeing their daughters again.
"Nobody has helped us, not even our president," said Mr Wasi.
A devout Christian, he still has grim memories of the "unworldly" moment when he saw his daughter staring out forlornly from beneath a blue hijab on the hostage video released by Boko Haram. "All we do now is stay here in Chibok and fend for ourselves. Some people have already left - they don't think it's safe any more."
Meanwhile, with the world's attention once again turning to fresh crises in Iraq and Israel, #bringbackourgirls is no longer the hashtag it once was. The regular downtown demonstrations in Nigerian capital, Abuja, have dwindled, with the crowds of red-teeshirted campaigners accusing the government of trying to undermine them. There have even been fisticuffs with a rival group, which wears white tee-shirts and campaigns under the name of #ReleaseOurGirls.
"As of about three weeks ago, they began turning up at the same location where we hold a vigil every day, and have been outright aggressive with us," said Lawan Abana, one of the demonstrators. "Recently they smashed up a whole load of our plastic chairs and fractured one of my colleague's arms. We think they are being paid by the government, as their message is 'release our girls'. That puts the responsibility for solving this case on Boko Haram, rather than the government."
Three months after its schoolgirls vanished into the clutches of Boko Haram militants, Chibok has become the town that never sleeps. For the mothers of those missing from this dusty northern Nigerian town, nightfall is a time when rest proves impossible, when three hours of fitful dozing is the most one can hope for. And for the fathers, it is a time for round the-clock-vigils, patrolling the edges of town in case of yet more attacks.
With Nigerian security forces now belatedly stationed around Chibok, there should be no need for neighbourhood watch duty. Yet two weeks ago, in a sign of how thin the government's writ still runs, Boko Haramattacked two villages just six miles away, killing more than 30 people and razing four churches to the ground.
"We have no idea when they might suddenly attack again," said Henry Wasi*, 46, whose 16-year-old daughter is among the 223 girls still missing."My wife is praying every day at the church, because she knows it is now only God who will bring back our girls."
 |
| Missing Nigerian girls: whatever happened to #Bringbackourgirls? |
From left: Michelle Obama, Cara Delevingne and Malala Yousafzai call for the girls to be returned
It wasn't supposed to be this way. Until recently, it was not the Almighty that Chibok's residents were pinning their hopes on, but a social media campaign called #bringbackourgirls, which aimed to galvanise the Nigerian government into action by highlighting the plight of the girls around the world.
Backed by everyone from Angelina Jolie to William Hague and Michelle Obama, it sparked demonstrations across Nigeria and the wider world, and pledges of assistance both Britain, France and America - all desperate to stop Boko Haram's cackling leader, Abubakar Shekau, making good on his videotaped promise to sell the girls off as bush wives.
For the past two months, British and US hostage negotiators and intelligence teams have been assisting their Nigerian counterparts on the ground. And in the air, US drone planes have been scouring northern Nigeria's vast expanses of scrubland, forests and mountains, mapping every road, track and bush trail to garner clues as to where the girls might be.
 |
| Abubakar Shekau has threatened to sell the girls off as bush wives |
In Chibok and elsewhere, it is not hard to find Nigerians who believe their government has quietly closed the book on the affair. Lurid rumours abound that the girls have already been impregnated by Boko Haram militants, or sold for £12-a-head in the dusty slave markets of neighbouring Niger and Cameroon.
Small wonder then, too, that many of Chibok's families say they have now lost all hope in ever seeing their daughters again.
"Nobody has helped us, not even our president," said Mr Wasi.
A devout Christian, he still has grim memories of the "unworldly" moment when he saw his daughter staring out forlornly from beneath a blue hijab on the hostage video released by Boko Haram. "All we do now is stay here in Chibok and fend for ourselves. Some people have already left - they don't think it's safe any more."
 |
| A #BringBackOurGirls protest in the Nigerian capital, Abuja |
"As of about three weeks ago, they began turning up at the same location where we hold a vigil every day, and have been outright aggressive with us," said Lawan Abana, one of the demonstrators. "Recently they smashed up a whole load of our plastic chairs and fractured one of my colleague's arms. We think they are being paid by the government, as their message is 'release our girls'. That puts the responsibility for solving this case on Boko Haram, rather than the government."
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
The information is provided by PaHarare Exptreme using online sources and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.
Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
- Advertisement -
