‘Fulfill Your Promise’: Parents Of Abducted Chibok Girls Write To President Buhari

Parents of abducted Chibok girls have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue the remaining girls in captivity before his tenure ends in 2023.

In a letter titled "Bring back our daughters before you leave office," parents reminded Buhari of his promise to free the captives who were kidnapped eight years ago.

"Mr. President, we would like to remind you of the promises you made to us on the rescue of the remaining kidnapped daughters, as we acknowledge your efforts and express our sincere gratitude to your administration for your past effort. However, we request that you fulfill your promise and return our daughters back to us, even if this is going to be the last act of your presidency," the letter read in part, as per The Guardian.

Parents of the missing girls further reminded President Buhari of his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, in which he promised to rescue their daughters held hostage by insurgents.

In another reminder, they recollected his speech made on April 14, 2019, five years after the abduction, when he said: "We will not rest until all the remaining girls are back and reunited with their families. I made this promise when I became president, and I will keep it."

"Mr. President, you reassured us that our daughters would be reunited with us. On April 14, 2021, a statement titled: "Chibok Girls Still on Our Minds" was released and you further reminded us of your promise and reassured us that all our girls will be rescued and reintegrated back into their communities," the letter added.

Parents of the 108 missing girls, abducted by Boko Haram about 8 years ago, maintained that their daughters have been through an unimaginable ordeal and abuse while in captivity. They further expressed hope that the eighth-year remembrance in 2022 would be the last.

In 2014, militants from the Boko Haram militant group seized 275 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Chibok community in northeastern Nigeria. The mass abduction prompted global outrage and heartbreak on social media, inspiring the slogan #BringBackOurGirls.

The sculptures of the missing girls in Lagos were exhibited last week in a moving display that resembled a memorial, LA Times reported. French artist Prune Nourry collaborated with more than 100 students from the Obafemi Awolowo University to design eight heads inspired by photographs of missing girls lent by their families. The pictures were then used as models to create 108 additional sculptures.