Chibok Girls: The controversial issue in the Nigerian political landscape as many critics maintain that it is a SCAM.

           

Two years, and the controversy is still on. Were there actually little girls kidnapped in Chibok? This question is yet to be settled. Barely two ago, some girls who were in school preparing for their senior secondary school examination, also referred to as the “West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination”, the WestAfrican equivalent of the GSCE (General School Certificate Examination) were kidnapped in Maiduguri, Nigeria. It was precisely on the night in between April 14 to 15, 2014.

In an effort to make the then Jonathan’s administration respond to the call of advancing efforts to have the girls rescued, the hashtag #bringbackourgirls was launched, and they were quite vociferous during the  regime of the last administration. The incident through the campaign secured immediate international attentions. US First Lady Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai and Cara Delevingne were among prominent personalities who participated in the campaign #BringBackOurGirls that grossed over 3million participants on Twitter in less than three weeks of its commencement. However, it took the President up until 4 May, 2014 to speak publicly about the incident, while his political party was reportedly on a political rally in Kano in the morning of the incident. His administration was thus widely criticized of indifference and neglect. Speaking recently at an event, the governor of the State, Mr. Shettima who incidentally was also at the helm of the affairs when the incident happened noted that “after the Chibok abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in April, 2014, it took 19 days for me to receive a call from the president”.

However, there were feelers from both government and social circle that the “Chibok girls” kidnap story was not real, just as the issue of Boko Haram. Rather, it was attributed to be a tool instituted by the then opposition to stifle the efforts of the Jonathan administration by rendering it unpopular in the court of public opinion.

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For instance, Asari Dokubo, one-time leader of a faction of the Niger Delta militants spoke emphatically that “no girls are missing, Chibok is a scam”.

 He instead ventured to ask:

“what is the relationship between the APC (then the opposition party) and Boko Haram?”

The Niger Delta emancipation activist actually enunciated the sentiments of the then ruling party: PDP. 

The then Senior media aide to the President, Dr. Okupe Doyin added his voice to this sentiment. He said

“One of the reasons the Chibok girls were kidnapped was to present Jonathan’s administration as incompetent and hold it to ransom against 2015 elections”.

He further added that

“one of the reasons the BBOG (BringBackOurGirls) was formed was to internationalize the embarrassment” 

So many issues were raised by the then ruling party which include; the inconsistency surrounding accounts of what happened that night as well as the identity of the schoolgirls, why the students were permitted to stay back in Chibok despite warnings by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education, and why the northern elite had sufficient details of the ordeal of the schoolgirls that night.

            While the questions were not answered till the demise of the Jonathan’s administration, the concerns still persist.

The credibility of the leaders of the BBOG campaign was also questioned in the light of the political affiliation of its leader Hadiza Bala Usman. She was a notable member of the opposition and later became a member of the Inauguration Planning Committee of President Buhari.  She is currently the Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasiru El Rufai, also a national leader of the leading APC. In fact, Mrs Hadiza had maintained her political affiliation with APC, stating that she has always been “political”.

In a recent event, one of the most activist opposition governors in Nigeria, Mr. Ayo Fayose stated that there was no Chibok girl kidnapped. The governor who spoke Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on “Political Aspirants Capacity Enhancement” stated thus:

“I don’t think any of these girls is missing; it is a political strategy. Who is fooling who? If you wanted to use it to remove some people, you have succeeded already.”

He made the statement alluding to the widely held viewpoint that it was just a political mechanization by then opposition: APC.

However, within two months of the governor making the above statement, it was reported that one of the girls have been rescued. And in less than three days of the first rescue, another one is reportedly rescued.

While the international community applaud the rescue efforts of the Nigeria Army, there have been controversies as to the veracity and authenticity of the story. The rescue of the schoolgirls has also been subject to inconsistencies. The name of the first girl rescued, Amina Ali, had been the subject of controversy, while it is still controversial whether the second rescued girl was part of thekidnapped “Chibok girls”.

 The controversy still persists as to whether there was any kidnapping with many questioning the real person behind the rescued Chibok GIRL. It is speculated that the girl had continuously been featured in many Boko Haram media propaganda in the past. [Photos to come]. There are still reasons to disbelief the "Chibok" story. 

                                                

                               

 This is sponsored post, by a freelance journalist.