Promising to train 19 year old Boko Haram Escapee Amina Ali who was abducted on April 14 2014 is a wonderful idea, but what of the over two hundred others sitting in the Sambisa Forest?
Promising to train 19 year old Boko Haram Escapee Amina Ali who was abducted on April 14 2014 is a wonderful idea, but what of the over two hundred others sitting in the Sambisa Forest?
Dear Muhammudu Buhari,
Over 200 days have passed since April 14, 2014, when 276 secondary school girls were kidnapped from their boarding school by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Although it is believed that 50 of the girls escaped, 219 are still in the custody of this terrorist group.
I trust that you know the terrors this anti-western education jihadist group has inflicted on Nigerians since 2009. About 200,000 people have been killed and over 2 million have had to flee from their homes. The abducted girls are raped and turned to sex slaves and at 17 years old some of them have children. However, the height of this evil is their turning children into suicide bombers.
I am very grateful to God about the news on Amina Ali, the first Boko Haram escapee. Abducted when she was 17 years old, Amina now has is married, has a child, and is potentially expecting another child. Although it breaks my heart that this is her new life, I am equally excited that you have assured her of an education and provision for her family.
It also gladdens my heart that there is news on yet another escapee from the Chibok camp. But is high time all girls are freed from the clutches of Boko Haram. Two years of rape, torture and isolation is too much for these young girls who had dreams and aspirations.
Even though this terror did not begin during your presidential era you promised us change. We are now desperately in need of change. Nigerians deserve to have Boko Haram crossed off their lists of numerous worries, perpetual concerns like the lack of fuel, epileptic power supply, the unstable exchange rate and traffic. I appreciate the fact that you say that “We have technically won the war” against Boko Haram; but, if this is truly the case, then these girls should be back home, and Chibok should be safe.
Mr. President, I have, in countless occasions, dwelled upon the horrific possibility that it could have been me in the Sambisa Forest, a girl who once spent her days writing and reading legal journals, an aspiring lawyer. Bundled up and locked away in the thickets of a forest, turned into a sex slave. I cannot imagine how I would feel, living in such conditions with no hope for tomorrow. Imagine that one of the abducted girls was your daughter, one who wanted to become a doctor or a journalist. Imagine how scared and abandoned she would feel.
On this note, President Muhammadu Buhari, I am pleading with you to put an end to this crisis. Lives are at stake, and time is running out. Your cabinet is already tasked with combatting several important issues, like corruption. I truly believe you want to change Nigeria for the good. But the longer Boko Haram thrives, the less people you have to change Nigeria for. Begin your change by changing the present situation of these girls.
Signed,
Celine Aju.