“I was shot on my left leg, while I was sleeping. When I woke up, I could not walk and was later taken to the girls hostel where the insurgents gathered us with the female students. They selected some of the female students and went away with them, while they left some of us groaning in pain from gunshot”. Those were the words of 14-year-old Ibrahim Musa Lampo, a JSS 2 student of the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi in Yobe State, Nigeria in his narration of the events that took place in their school on the night of February 25, 2014 when 59 boys were killed in their sleep.
Please note that in that narration, that selected girls (Christian girls same as Chibok) were carted away from the Unity school. Even as the entire nation condemned the act by the terrorist, what was the response of the new found #Bringbackourgirls campaign? where girls not abducted? was it not in the news? Did Nigerians not in one voice condemn the act? Did Nigerians not call on the FG to take a decisive decision on Cameroon when it was rumored that the killers were camped in Cameroon? Was there no unity against the acts of the terrorist? Where was Obiageli Ekwesili and her new found followers? At least, there was no dispute about the authenticity of the story or event in Buni Yadi, Yobe State. Why have the proponents of the #Bringbackourgirls campaign composition centered around past government officials, members of the opposition or aggrieved politicians. Is there more to what we know?
From the night of the abduction of the Chibok girls on the 15 of April 2014, there have been several questions begging to be answered, and none of these till this date has been verified. Why were there no #Bringbackourgirls campaign on the girls that were verified as being taken from the federal government school in Yobe? And interestingly, the students and parents of victims from the Yobe Massacre and abduction have made themselves available to the press and yet have not felt any repercussion as to a re-hit on them as feared by those of the Chibok freed students and their parents, so why is the Chibok case different? Have we noticed the dynamism and energy exerted in the later campaign to bring down the government? Maybe in my perspective, the proponents of the #bringbackourgirls could have incorporated a #Bringdownthegovernment campaign as an alias to what they are doing. If these campaigners are asked why government should be targeted for a crime against an insurgence, would they be able to reasonably explain why the terrorist should be consecrated and government castrated upon? Does that not give more credence to the acts of the terrorist above that of the Federal Government?
In all these, you see people like Ekwesili, a Chartered Accountant, Former Minister of Power and Steel and that of Education, also a former celebrated Vice President of the World Bank leading this illogical campaign of resentful opinion. If these much exerted vigorous campaign was put to the condemnation of the insurgence and its leadership or sponsors, don’t we think it would have shown these killers that they do not have any atom of support? Or that they have not been applauded in anyway? In my opinion, I believe that what the leadership of the #Bringbackourgirls campaign are doing is indirectly amounting to the supporting of the acts of insurgency.
Take for instance, What would the proponents of the Bringbackourgirls campaign say is the explicit demand and motive of Boko Haram in its fight against the Federal Government? In their absence, let me provide the answer; BOKO HARAMITES WANT A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT FROM A CHRISTIAN LED LEADERSHIP TO ISLAMIC. THEY ALSO WISH TO ISLAMIZE NIGERIA OR BETTER STILL, THEY WANT MR PRESIDENT BEING A CHRISTIAN TO CONVERT TO ISLAM. These demands are not realistic. Even the Muslim world is against it in principles. The Goodluck Jonathan’s Government also have Muslims as major components of the government and they do not share the ideology of Boko Haram’s mis-interpretation of the ethics of Islam. if not political, why on earth would educated Nigerians give Boko Haram the impression that they have enough support to change the leadership of the nation. One is only encourage to continue in an act only when there is a sense of support. No man wishes to stand alone. So in my opinion, the bringbackourgirls campaigners are the visible and represented supporters of Boko Haram.
Most worrisome in all these is the conspiracy theory that has trailed the abduction of these Chibok girls. The following questions still begging to be answered stands as a reason why the bringbackourgirls campaign would have made more sense if it was redirected to those with its answers.
1. How can the exact number of girls abducted still remain unknown till today (6 weeks and 5 days after the abduction) ?
2. Who was incharge of the school when Boko Haramites came for the abduction?
3. Why were the students not allowed to leave when they claimed they were informed of the approach of the insurgence towards the school?
4. Why was WAEC told they had sufficient security when in essence there was none?
5. Why did the state government refuse to heed to the advice to the Federal Ministry of Education concerning the safety of students?
6. Why did the Borno Elders ask that Government should pay N50million per abducted girls to Boko haram? Why did they not ask for that when the FGC students were killed and abducted? And why has the Borno state government suddenly made available N150million to the parents of the abducted and escaped (freed) girls. (What happened to those of the Federal Government School, Yobe)
7. Why did the Principal first claim she was in Maiduguri during the abduction and later claimed she was in school (helped in loading the students into the Boko Haram trucks) later when the abduction was questioned? and later claimed that she was in her quarters during the abduction? #Bringbackourgirls proponents should question her.
8. Why was none of the teacher’s daughters who are students of the school and are boarding alleged to have been abducted ?
9. Why is it difficult till today for the school to come out with a list of missing students?
10. How did 4 girls escaped from Boko haram’s holding 4 days ago, yet there is no information from where they are coming from? Borno state government is reported as saying that the girls were released on health grounds… When did Boko Haram develop such a loving heart for a fair play?
In all these, it is worrisome that even when the proponent of the #bringbackourgirls campaign cannot answer these questions, they are increasingly putting in more efforts on the call of government to resolve a fruitless and imaginative puzzle or never to be in peace. Does this not amount to making the country ungovernable? When some of us disagree with those that said they will make the country ungovernable in principle, don’t we agree that those words have an action events that come with it? SOMETIMES, PEOPLE TAKE THE STAGE OF A WRITTEN SCRIPT WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ACTORS OF IN THE PLAY OF A SCRIPTWRITER. HOW THEN DO YOU DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM A FULFILLMENT OF A PROPHESY YOU ARE IN TOTAL DISAGREEMENT WHEN YOUR ACTIONS IS A LEAD TO THE END RESULT OF THE SAID PROPHESY? Commonsense though said to be common still requires logical and intelligent thinking. Where then lies our ability to exhibit commonsense when it requires logic. In all these campaigns, the underneath tone is subjective to political battles and interest even when patriotism is fronted as reasons.
If the essentials of the Bringbackourgirls campaign was born out of patriotism to the nation, I believe it would have been more appropriate to direct the grieves and general concerns to those that abducted the girls as they are known to be Nigerians and not those saddled with responsibility of providing security. Providing security itself is a task against criminality. Supporting criminality in our efforts to ask for accountability is in fact a criminal activity itself and could be described as a felony against the state. Does it make sense to accuse the police of not providing security for Nigerians when Nigerians are part of the criminal conspiracy? Does that not amount to hypocrisy? If you make the nation ungovernable in an attempt to ask for good governance, is that not a penny wise pound foolish scenario?
To these end, I ask that the proponent of the bringbackourgirls campaign should rather direct their fight against the insurgence acts of the terrorist while they support the efforts of government to fight a war from within. Let our actions define our level of education or else, it would be worthless to have an education. SAY NO TO BOKO HARAM.