FG Denying Us Access to Freed Chibok Girls, Alleges BBOG

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The #BringBackOurGirls, (BBOG) advocacy group has accused the federal government of shielding them from making contact with the 106 of the freed Chibok girls currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Women Development Centre, Abuja.

The group’s co-convener, Aisha Yesufu, made the allegation yesterday at the project launch of research on new forms of social and political action, organised by Partnership for African Social Governance Research (PAGSR) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), using #BringbackOurGirls as the case study.

Two months ago, the Department of State Services (DSS) handed the girls over to the Ministry of Women Affairs, after some of them regained their freedom in a swap deal involving some Boko Haram commanders.

She said the group would continue to make demands to government to ensure that the girls receive the right psychosocial therapy and are allowed to be in touch with their parents and families.

“The government has not allowed us to see the girls, but we are okay with that even though for three years, we led the agitation for their agitation. Our role is to ensure they are allowed to be in touch with their parents and are given quality education. We will continue to monitor what government is doing and ensure they dont fall into a trap,” Yesufu said.

It is now exactly 1,202 days since 273 Chibok girls were abducted from their dormitories while preparing to write the West African School Certificate examination. Of those kidnapped, 67 of them escaped from their captors.
BBOG attracted global attention to the abduction of the girls when its hashtag first started 1,186 days ago.
Though 106 of the schoolgirls have been freed, Yesufu tasked the government to do more by ensuring the rescue of the remaining 130 girls still held by Boko Haram.

She also challenged government to produce a missing people register that would profile the remaining Chibok girls and all Nigerian citizens that are missing.

Yesufu said the advocacy for the release of the girls jeopardised the security of the members of the group as were at risk of attack by terrorists. She also said government was antagonistic and constantly on their trail.