BBOG Launches Campaign Marking 90 Days to 5th Anniversary of Chibok Girls’ Abduction

BBOG Launches Campaign Marking 90 Days to 5th Anniversary of Chibok Girls’ Abduction

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement has launched a 3-month Global Campaign starting on Sunday January 13th, 2019, 90 days to making it 5 years since the Chibok Girls were last free citizens of Nigeria.

In a statement released on Monday, the BBOG said: “This 90-day campaign is to pressure our government to free our 112 Chibok Girls, Leah Sharibu, Alice Ngaddah and countless other abductees before the fifth anniversary of the abduction, which will come up on Sunday April 14, 2019.”

The statement continued:

As a movement made up of concerned Nigerians of all economic classes and provenance,
we demand that our government:

1. Bring back our girls NOW and ALIVE!
2. Equip and look after the welfare of our police and our troops
3. Give our children safe and secure schools
4. Properly rehabilitate those who have been victims of conflict or crisis
5. Respond QUICKLY whenever something bad happens to our citizens, and
6. Communicate about what they are doing to the victim’s families and the general public.

While we are aware of the efforts made so far, and commend the government for the
recovery of 107 Chibok girls, and 106 Dapchi girls, we will not relent in our advocacy and strident demands for the rescue of our school children and fellow citizens from captivity.

We also demand justice for the slain. We acknowledge and honour the sacrifice of our
military and express our thoughts and prayers to the families of our heroes in the armed
forces.

As concerned citizens of this country, the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy group
has highlighted the plight of these innocent girls and other victims of the insurgency, both at global level, and at home through protest and through constructive engagement with the government and other agencies, to secure the rescue of the abducted girls. Our advocacy includes nearly 5 years of a daily sit-out in Abuja; weekly sit-outs in Lagos, Oshogbo, and Ibadan; visits to key local and international stakeholders; development of strategies and tools such as ‘Citizens Solutions to End Terrorism’ and the ‘Verification, Authentication and Reunification System (VARS)’ for missing persons.

While we remain hopeful and expectant that the rescue of ALL the girls is imminent, if this hope does not materialise before April 14, 2019, we will, with heavy hearts, mark the 5th year of captivity for 112 Chibok Girls by gathering with members of the Chibok community and members of BBOG from all over Lagos.

We empathise with the traumatised families and communities of all the victims of
insurgency, those missing, deceased, and forcibly removed from government schools where
their parents thought they would be safe. We pray that many more families will be able to share in the joy of their children coming back home and having a bright future.

We call on local, national, regional and global influencers and authorities to support
and pressure the Nigerian government to bring the nightmare of school abductions, violent extremism and insecurity to an end.