Lagos
Members of the Bringbackourgirls advocacy group on Thursday,
August 27, 2015, marched to the office of the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi
Ambode, in order to seek supports in ensuring that the 219 female students
abducted at a secondary school in north-eastern part of Nigeria were rescued
alive.
Ms. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Mrs Aisha Oyebode, Ms. Ayo Obe, Mrs Habib
Balogun, Mrs Amina Oyagbola, Mrs. Ngozi Iwere, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Ms.
Yemi Adamolekun and Mr. Babasola
Olalere, were
some of the notable personalities that participated in the march to the
governor’s office.
It could be re-called that on April 14, 2014,
the girls were abducted from Chibok Secondary School, Bornu State. But, 500
days after, 57 of them managed to escape, while 219 are still remaining
in captivity with members of the Boko Haram sect.
However, Women for Peace & Justice, told Ambode point-blank
that
in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, chapter 2, section 14 2(b), “the security and welfare of the people
shall be the primary purpose of government”.
Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocates
Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), speaking on behalf of Women for
Peace & Justice, said that after the abduction, people and groups within
and outside Nigeria carried out series of protests.
According to her, people were mobilized and took to the streets in
Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Enugu and Ekiti, as well as in London, Washington DC,
Atlanta, Paris, Germany and Nairobi, to demand for the immediate release of the
girls.
Her words: “As concerned citizens of this country, the
Bring-Back-Our-Girls (BBOG) advocacy group has highlighted the plight of these
innocent girls, even at a global level and engaged the government and other
agencies in a constructive manner to secure the rescue of the girls”.
Our advocacy methodology include a daily sit-out in Abuja, weekly
sit-out in Lagos, Oshogbo, and Ibadan; visits to relevant stakeholders and
development of tools like the citizens’ solutions to end terrorism and the
verification, authentication and reunification system (VARS).
The women group expressed its gratitude to the Secretary-General
of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, who recently visited Nigeria and joined in
the global out cry for the rescue of the girls.
However, according to the women group, some of the stakeholders so
far engaged by the BBOG group are: Governor of Borno State; former Chief of
Defense Staff, the National Security Adviser, various United Nations agencies,
Ambassadors of neighbouring countries and recently, President Muhammadu Buhari.
Akiyode-Afolabi, further re-called that President Buhari noted in
his inaugural address to the Nigerian people, “we cannot claim to have defeated
Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons
held hostage by insurgents”.
She urged Ambode to support the group in its efforts to ensure
that the chibok girls are rescued alive and re-united with their families.
Responding, Ambode expressed his gratitude to the women group for
being consistent in calling for the release of the abducted girls and assured
that as promised by Buhari, the girls will be set free by their captives, soon.
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