Chibok: The Return Of The Stolen Nigerian School Girls, By Tobenna Obiano

In the last days leading to the wrap of the first quarter of 2014, the world woke up to a devastating, shocking and callous news, almost 300 secondary school young girls had been kidnapped under the cover of darkness from a small village of Chibok in Bornu State, Nigeria.

The news of the kidnapped school girls spread like wild fire all over Nigeria and far beyond. The world in a rare show of concern and friendship, put aside sentiments, disagreements, radical racism, yes, the world chose to forgo hate, putting aside the barriers of differences when in unity, the people spoke up in one voice for these harmless school children.

The hashtag #BringBackOurGirls did trend the most that very year. World leaders, including the then American First Lady, Michelle Obama also joined her voice, spoke up and carried the insignia of the #BringBackOurGirls. It was momentous!

It was alleged that they, these young school girls were actually preparing for a National Board examination, where they lived in a boarding house/hostel right inside the school compound before their eventual kidnap, by the monstrous and Africa's deadliest terrorist group, the Boko Haram sect who came in like a militia and stole them away.

Sadly, the then Nigerian Government under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan became wholly incapacitated, helpless and hapless. It became so bad that even the Nigerian security forces declared clearly that they do not know where the young girls have been kidnapped to. Some suggested the dreaded Sambisa forest, some thought of Nigerian porous boarders and to other nations around. Now, there was a possibility that they might have been sold into slavery, married off or turned into sex-slaves. All these became sad possibilities!

Aside the nearly 300 girls kidnapped by this ruthless terrorist gang, they went ahead kidnapping even more girls from their homes there in the Northeast within same period. "Boko Haram" which means "Western Education is evil" clearly shows their first aim as to stopping the progress in scholarly and intellectual growth.

Ofcourse before the Chibok kidnap, the Boko Haram sect had held the Nigerian nation state to a very tight corner. It wasn't their first. They had actually, over the years grown in fire-power, strength and capacity. They have tortured, maimed, molested, abused and killed innocent Nigerian citizens in their numbers. They have destroyed properties and facilities. They once bombed the United Nations building in Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory and even the nation's Police Force Headquarters in thesame city. This shows of their capacity!

Infact, before the kidnap of the Chibok school girls, it may be true to say that the Nigerian Government haven't been honest with the people as regards the war against the deadly sect. It was not until the eventual kidnap of the Chibok shook girls of ages between 12 to 16 years, which drew outrage and ignited a sort of protest from the Nigerian people, as well as the international community, including world leaders that the Nigerian Government suddenly woke up from their seemingly endless slumber.

Then Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan stated quite clearly that it was a terrifying moment and trying time for Nigeria. He noted that the people are right to be angry and also went ahead to sort for the support of the international community to aid his Government in the rescue of the missing young girls. His wife, the then First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan in a pettiable show of sorrow, cried on National TV while calling on the Boko Haram sect to release the young girls. Infact, years later, her heart-touching act has turned to becoming an object of ridicule and joke for many, "there's God oo!"

Unfortunately, the Boko Haram sect insist that they follow the teaching of supreme Islamic religion, but so many celebrated, highly revered and respected Islamic scholars and leaders clearly waves off such abysmal claim as totally nonsensical, calling the kidnap of the young school girls as barbaric, callous and wicked. True Muslims had condemned the shameful and wicked act in entirety, calling same anti-Islam.

Even as it has been believed that the Boko Haram sect aren't any more beyond a few hundred men, yet the highly celebrated Nigerian military, which has been oftenly celebrated for their headways in peace-keeping mission particularly in the African continent has remained unable to manage the excesses of these demonic terrorist group.

Things detoriated  so badly that various world powers offered their willingness to help in rescuing the kidnapped school children as well as stop the terrorist group. America's Barack Obama administration took the lead, the U.K. offered to help, Germany was in for us, France was willing to help as well and a few other nations. Somehow, trust issue and the alleged petty-attitude of the Nigerian military and leaders forced some of these nations to back down and out.

The Nigerian Government through the military often claim to have nearly defeated the terrorist group, but reality shows that assertion to be a malicious and fallacious thinking or simply put, bare lie, as they have not only proven in many forms to be untrue. A few have been killed, but then, the Boko Haram sect are still very powerful and holding Nigeria in hostility, nearly in perpetuity.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shakau who we have been made to believe in more than three times that he has been killed by the gallant Nigerian military obviously isn't anywhere near death. Infact, he continues to make videos and claims responsibility of many other violent crimes and talks tough of his willingness to even do more. One may choose to call it threat, well they have made a few of their threats come to sad eventual reality!

The Jonathan administration lost its reelection bid for many reasons, but prime in the least was the level of insecurity in the nation. Infact, the international community and many Nigerians were alarmed at the level of insecurity and corruption in Nigeria under the Jonathan Presidency. The kidnap of nearly 300 school children of less than 18 years age bracket from their school hostel became what actually broke the camels back. It was a sad point to the clear reality of our failed security system, this cost him his reelection bid!

The President Buhari-led administration is another abysmal failure, dead right on arrival. They have shown crass ignorance, a distinct level of unpreparedness for the multifarious task of leadership. They have shown quite clearly that they had no vision, mission or ambition for the greater good of all Nigerians. The level of hunger, joblessness, suffrage, hostility and even more, that has besieged Nigerians under the Buhari administration is best described as "catatonic catastrophy".

Even as the Buhari's Economic Financial Crimes Commission continues to swim in the euphoria of doing much to save the nation, in recovering looted funds, it has turned to becoming a melo-drama of sort and a joke. Millions and billions that are orphaned are continually recovered yet the EFCC Boss doesn't know exactly how much or within what range of amount he has recovered thus far.

The most disheartening part is that even within the Presidency, some amongst his most trusted allies and cabinet members are shamefully corrupt-stricken. Their assess, if not full control of the nation's apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria's dealing in forex, where they buy dollars at their own choice prize and take, as against the value in parallel market and more is a worse crime.

It is under this Government that his Secretary to the Federal Government offered a contract to cut grasses worth hundreds of millions in naira to his own company. Also, the President's lawyer diplomatically gave bribe to a Judge handling the President's case and it was labeled "a gift". It has been a sad tale of endless dramatic reality. The nation's Information Minister now turned to a lying machine, Lai Mohammed isn't even helping matters at all, where he has the capacity to tell different lies at different times to different people unperturbed. The man shamelessly has the magic ward as far as lying is concerned.

At the celebration of the President Buhari-led administration's one year in office, near-miraculously, a handful of our missing Chibok school girls were released by their captors. Now, another goodnews comes calling, in this 2nd year anniversary of same Presidency, again, the world has just been greeted with a glorious news of the eventual rescue or release of another batch of about 82 Chibok girls after 3 years of their kidnap.

Well, the Nigerian Government had masterly played down on announcing that some high ranking members of the Boko Haram terrorist militia that has been held in prison custody of the Nigerian military were actually interchanged for the supposedly released missing Chibok school girls. It is important to note quite clearly that while every well meaning Nigerian appreciates the rescue, release or interchange or whatsoever that led to the return of our long lost or stolen girls back, we must be weary also of the limitless possibilities that the released top ranking militias of the Boko Haram can cause and cost us.

One of the alleged rescued girls was wearing a scapular, a Catholic sacramental which the not-so-Holy Catholics amongst us do not come close to, talk less of wearing it. This rope-like wool, usually worn around the neck has survived three solid years without wearing off. There were not skin rashes, appearing in new hairdo and lovely design of clothes. Is this not a miracle?

Also, one is honestly worried, on how these rescued young girls have grown to look so healthy, clean and well-fed, yet persons at our IDP camps look hungrier, unkept, sickly and nearly dying. Does it amount to, an unbelievable fact, that the Shakau-led Boko Haram has better capacity in managing health challenges, nutrition and cleanliness of the formerly stolen now returned girls than the Nigerian Government who are taking care of those at the IDP camps?

A Military General once said that where ever that any terrorist attack or any of such act takes place successfully and lasts beyond 72hours, that high ranking members of the military and the political class are a part and parcel of the deal. This has tuned out to seem to be so true.

No one is ready to doubt the authenticity of, if the Chibok school girls saga is true or not, if it's a malicious myth or a reality, if it actually took place or has become another cooked-out drama of the Nigerian political space. Everything and indeed anything is possible. Therefore, welcome to Nigeria where truly impossibility, even in wrong doing means absolutely nothing!

Somehow, one may have doubts and even if it becomes true, as against the myopic thinking of majorly the Nigerian political class, I make bold to state quite clearly that not all Nigerians have saw dust as grey matter inside their skull. A chunk percentage of us can think and comprehend well as normal human-being, and all these movie-like script isn't any more funny. It's becoming ridiculously shameful and has got to stop.

We await for the super script writers, editors and directors of these endless dramas to do more. Truth may be delay or subdued for a long while, but someday, somehow and sometime, when it's time for darkness to make way for light,at dawn, the world will be greeted by the true reality of whatsoever that played out or has transpired thus far. Nigerians think we have had enough bad news of the lagoon wasteful divers, well, then those suicide destinations may become a choice destination for many.

It just can't be business as usual. Things has got to change and for the better. France just elected a 39 year old as President. Well, in Nigeria, there are Counsellors that are 40years, Governors that are 60years and we have an illiterate sickly President that claimed to be a little about 70years while it clearly seems he has gone pass 80years.

Sadly, instead of obeying the laws and regulations of this nation, we have a nation where a select few feel they are above the law. The Government has made it so. The Nigerian DSS & EFCC has persistently flouted court orders and infringed on public peace and rights of the common Nigerian citizen. Today, they harass, intimidate, molest, shame, arrest and detain people anyhow.

Lately, the case of the Capital Oil & Gas Boss, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is here before us. An uncommon Nigerian, a builder and a successful industrialist is about to be shout up, down and out. Chief. Cletus Ibeto of Ibeto Cement was once shut off business and someone from the other side monopolized the market; maybe a repeat has been drafted and is about playing out. This is playing out even as we have more worrisome needs than injudiciously harassing the likes of Chief. Ifeanyi Ubah. Somehow, this plays out mostly during election years. That's the tale of our nation.

Nigeria will surely get to the promised land and then, many of the political class and members of top Nigeria's security system personnel will cover their faces in shame for the troubles they caused this nation and shame they have brought upon us all.

Insha Allah, more of our stolen Chibok school girls will be released, rescued and returned by God's grace. Until then, even if it is a seasonal drama, watch-on, if it interests you and take note.

I had titled a completed manuscript of mine coming soon as a book, "HOW SICK IS NIGERIA?" My editors are suggesting something less, but in all honestly, we obviously know that Nigeria is sickly!

Tobenna Obiano

Author:
A Writer, Influencer & Entrepreneur.