Military playing games with Chibok girls, says Alele-Williams

Grace Alele-Williams, Nigeria’s first female vice-chancellor, has hit hard on the Nigerian army for not being able to bring back the remaining Chibok girls.

Exactly three years ago, Boko Haram insurgents invaded Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state, and captured 276 students.

While 57 escaped, three were found, and 21 released after a deal the government struck with the sect, leaving a total of 195 missing.

Speaking on Friday during the first inaugural lecture of Chibok girls in Abuja, Alele-Williams told the military to be more serious in its bid to free the captives.

“The story of the Chibok girls nowadays is now something that has become a game. We are more interested in other things,” she said.

“Our troops are not using correct arms… I am told that we have arms that are less powerful than those used by the insurgents.

“Many of our soldiers have gone to other parts of West Africa. We see that we have very good soldiers who can work out things in other places, but why are the less powerful ones sent to rescue Chibok girls? Why can’t they send well-equipped soldiers to go out and bring back our girls and clean the hearts of their weeping mothers.”

She accused the leadership of the military of not showing enough interest in the plight of the victims.

“We have an army where directors and those who give orders sit back in Abuja and send less powerful ones who to the field,” she said.

“These people then do not carry out the thinking necessary and the work necessary to bring back out girls.

“We even make pacts with other African countries and say we are going to do this and that but we have not been able to do so, which makes us a laughing stock.”