Eight years after abduction, Chibok community says 110 girls still in captivity

The Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), also known as Chibok community, has accused the federal government of abandoning their wards.

In April 2014, Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state.

A number of them have been found, but many are believed to still be in captivity.

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Dauda Ndirpaya Iliya, national president of KADA, said over 100 Chibok girls are still in captivity.

Iliya said the release of the last captives of the Kaduna train attack is an indication that their wards have been abandoned.

“We still have 110 of them still unaccounted for,” he said.

“The issue of the abandonment of the Chibok school girls has come forth again following the release of the remaining abducted train victims largely due to the efforts of the federal government and especially the military under the chief of defence staff, Lucky Irabor.

“The statement, in particular, has caused the Chibok people pain and caused us despair and a deep feeling of neglect and abandonment by the federal government.”

The KADA president said the community is still experiencing attacks from terrorists.

“The latest attack in Chibok happened only on Oct 3, 2022 in Njlang, a village just 5 Km away from Chibok,” he said.

“The parents and the community have continued to be subjected to persistent and sustained attacks, killings, abductions, maiming, arson and other myriads of criminality without adequate government protection.

“Chibok has been for all intents and purposes abandoned to its own devices by all layers of government in Nigeria.

“The government and the security agencies are handling the rehabilitation of the escaped/rescued girls without involvement of the parents and publicly parading them to make statements that appear coercive without reuniting with their parents.”

Earlier in the month, the army reportedly rescued three Chibok girls.