BEVERLY HILLS, CA, April 23, (THEWILL) – Determined to rescue their abducted children from the Boko Haram gunmen who kidnapped them from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, last week, women in Borno State have expressed their determination to go into the strongholds of the insurgents in the Sambisa Forest in search of their children.
Sambisa Forest, a large expanse of land, is believed to the stronghold and fortress of Boko Haram in Borno State and the abducted school girls are believed to be holed up in that dangerous forest.
Speaking at a media briefing in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Wednesday, the women coalition led by Prof. Hauwa Abdu Biu, said “We are ready to go into the bush and appeal to the Boko Haram sect to release our children to us.,” stressing that they were only waiting to be led to the Sambisa Forest by the military.
Expressing willingness to go inside the forest in their thousands, the women, who were all dressed in black gowns and head-ties, mourned all through the briefing, lamenting that the parents who went into the bush earlier to look for the abducted schoolgirls were not accompanied by the military.
“What stopped the security men on ground from giving security backup to the parents to go further into the bush,” they lamented as they alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan had not showed enough interest in ensuring that the girls were freed.
“Is the president telling us that the lives of over 200 girls abducted in the bush since a week ago not important. The abduction of innocent young girls violates their human rights, is a crime against humanity and is prohibited under international humanitarian law.
“Women in Borno State condemn in totality such acts of violence as attacks on schools deny children their rights to learn in a safe environment, thereby jeopardising their future.
“Such acts are inhuman and affect efforts to enhance girl-child education and development in the state and the country at large,” they stated.
About the Author
