#BringBackOurGirls: Shettima in tears, declares three days fasting, prayers.

GOVERNOR Kashim Shettima of Borno state  has appealed to the people of the state irrespective of religious inclinations to embark on three days fasting and prayers beginning from Monday 12th to Wednesday 14th May, 2014 for the safe release of about 236 female students abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Government Girls Secondary School Chibok last three weeks ago.

Shettima said, the fasting and payers from all and sundry became necessary as all efforts put in place to rescue the innocent girls by security agencies and government proved abortive.

Shettima in tears

Shettima made the plea to the people of the state yesterday when members of Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), BORNO state chapter led by Mr. Alabeh Grema Mdurbula led hundreds of his members on a peaceful protest to the governor at the government House,  Maiduguri, the state capital.

Governor Shettima who was visibly shedding tears when KADA community paid him the protest visit, assured them that since the ugly incident, security agencies, state and federal government have been having sleepless nights on how to rescue the innocent school girls.

While thanking other world leading countries like United States, United Kingdom, China

among others for their concern and support towards rescuing the kidnapped students, he  assured the people of KADA and Borno state that, very soon, the abducted school girls will be rescued and reunited with their beloved parents.

The leader of the protest, Mr.  Mdurbula while presenting the protest letter to Governor Shettima for onward delivery to President Goodluck Jonathan, said the current issue on ground is the insurgency and its effect on the Borno and the country in general, which includes the abduction of their daughters, and concern for their rescue. He however said politicizing the issue will not mean well to the traumatized parents.

“ We are here as members of KADA, a pan association of Kibaku ethnic nationality of Nigeria, Borno state Chapter, to express our profound  gratitude to His Excellency and His wife for standing by us and showing concern in this matter. As a people, we also commiserate with your Excellency and the state over this act of terror.

“We therefore urge your Excellency, not to relent, but to remain resolute, determined and focused till the end of this trying moment.  It is our collective desire to plead with you, our leader, the federal government, all our security agencies and the international community to intensify efforts to ensure the safe return of our innocent daughters so as to reduce the psychological trauma that is taking its toll on the parents, relations, friends of these girls and the community at large”.

“Unfortunately,  some parents have even gone mad due to the trauma they sustained since the ugly incident almost three weeks ago, we shall as parents will continue to pray for God’s intervention for their safe return and for protection of all security agents to secure the peace of our dear nation”. Mdurbula stressed in his brief presentation.

Governor Shettima therefore assured KADA communities that he will deliver their protest letter to Mr, President for immediate action.

Also speaking in an interview, the Chairman of KADA,  Mr. Daniel Mwada said, the Kibaku Community could not stage the protest earlier on because, they were demoralized, traumatized and grieved-stricken by what happened, trusting that the Federal government was coming to their aid, but only to be disappointed three weeks ago.

According to Mwada,  some content of the letter to be forwarded to Mr. President  which was equally copied to Borno state Governor, Senate president, Speaker House of Representatives and Commissioner of Police in Borno state reads in parts:”As community with full belief in the federal might and the capability to curtail or possibly eradicate insurgency in the country, we wish to draw Your Excellency’s attention to the following:-”

RESCUE OUR DAUGHTERS/ FACTS ABOUT THE ABDUCTION:

1. Mr. President about two hours before the attack on Chibok, the security agencies in Chibok were informed by both the Chairman of the council, and the Honourable member of the state house of assembly representing Chibok, yet no reinforcement was made to assist the small unit of service personnel in Chibok.

2. The Boko Haram insurgents went rampaging, looting, destroying and loading these girls in trucks for about four hours and no attempt was made to stop them, even though we are under state of emergency.
3. The girls were deceived by the insurgents in Military uniforms claiming to be on their rescue from impending danger, and assisted them in packing their belongings into the trucks.

4. After the abduction of these girls, the security agents were informed even though their number was not ascertained as at then, yet there was no serious effort immediately to cordon the area they were heading to.

5. Parents, vigilante groups and youths on their own attempted rescue mission twice after requesting for military back up into Sambisa area, but there was no response.

6. After all these, Mr. President, the military spokesman went on air to announce that they had rescued over 100 birds, only for the claim to turn out to be false.

7. Our  abducted daughters are 276 established and reported, out of which 53 have so far escaped on their own and United with their families.

ISSUE OF CONCERN:-
1. Nigerian Government should have responded with greater intensity to rescue these girls, even if the number was not ascertained.
2. As a result of the delay, the abducted girls are now scattered, and some are even said to have been taken across to neighbouring countries.
3. Detaining of community leaders and concerned family members by fed real government for protesting and calling for the rescue of the girls is totally uncalled for.
4. We want to strongly debunk the lies being told concerning the abduction of our girls by highly placed individuals as reported by some media houses.
OUR GIRLS HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED, THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT/ CALL FOR PRAYERS:-
1. MR. President, we appeal to you to intensify your effort to rescue our girls, because it is their constitutional right to be protected.
2. We call on the President, to beef up security in Chibok Local Government Area to prevent further attacks.
3. We call on the federal government to live up to their responsibilities.
4. We call on the federal Government to desist from all forms of arrests, intimidation, and immediately release of those detained for peacefully protesting for the release of the abducted girls.

It is our belief that Mr. President is capable as the Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces of our country to hear our cries and come to our aid without further delay. The letter stated.

Also speaking,  Hajja Hamsatu, Grace Alabeh, Hajja Hauwa, Tsarbai Wadai, Hon. Aimu Foni, and Dr. Allen Manaseh whose two sisters Lydia Wafi and Maryamu Wafi were among the abducted, called on the government to stop playing politics with the lives of their innocent daughters.

Dr. Manaseh who was shading tears throughout the interview managed to say that, “after the incident, over 204 people including volunteers from Chibok mobilized a day after the attack and stormed Sambisa forest with many contributed  N15,000 each as fuel money to be used in their motorcycles for the rescue, but to no avail.

“While in the Sambisa, we reached a place where the insurgents eat and left not quite long, but when we called the security agencies for help, there was no back up, and we have no option than to withdraw back to our communities.

We therefore want to call on the Jonathan to intensify efforts in rescuing our daughters,  and not to rely on fake information which the security agencies have been feeding him with since the incident took place”. Dr, Manaseh said