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| weeping parents |
The father of one of the kidnapped schoolgirls of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, told Punch how he and other parents tried to rescue their children in the Sambisa forest
What is your name?
I will tell you but please don’t publish it. Don’t publish my daughter’s name too.
What came to your mind when you learnt that your child was kidnapped?
It was a painful experience which my entire family is yet to recover from. We felt everything had come to a standstill. What is paining me is that up till now, soldiers have not gone after our children. Once, the parents went after the abducted students but we had to turn back
after we were told their abductors were well-armed. We thought government would go after them but the government has not gone after them till now (Wednesday). The government said they were trying to rescue them but till now, we cannot see any concrete thing on the ground.
What fears do you have?
My fear is that we heard that they selected the big and mature girls in the school and they have taken them to a place we don’t know.
Why do you think they were kidnapped?
The mature ones are to be married as wives and to do house chores, but we do know not what they are doing with the little ones.
How is your family coping?
I cannot just understand my wife now, she is not even talking. I have been trying to console her without success that our daughter will soon come back.
What was the last conversation you had with your daughter before the incident?
When she was going to school, I gave her all she needed. I told her to face her studies and to shun bad company.
Did you have such experience in the past?
No.
Are you making further personal plans to look for your daughter?
We can only depend on God to rescue them; we cannot go into the bush again
Were you part of those that initially went on the rescue mission?
Yes
How would you describe the journey?
We went two kilometres after Bale, which is around the Sambisa area, and some of the people we saw advised us to turn back because the insurgents were heavily armed. They told us that without security men, if we went there, none of us would return, it was then we decided to turn back.
How old is your daughter?
She is 19 years old
*God please bring this girls back home....
Belle just turn me now for dis story....SHAKI
ReplyDeleteI thought I was hardened til I read dis story and felt this peoples pain!Imagine if this were our daughters.nieces.sisters!Pls can we as citizens take to the streets on hunger strike and remain outside til these children are rescued?Pls where can people gather in each state and Fact to protest Govts inaction?Wat if this gals r ours?Wld we kip folding our arms?Oh God!
DeleteWhat pains me more that it was just last week the presidency decided to send troops to look for the girls! That means the 20kidnapped over a month ago no attempts whatsoever was made to go find them! My God!!! This govt!
DeleteIn other news.. Stella. I Just watched the news regarding the present situation in Nigeria. Esp as it has to do with the abducted girls. And the guest who appeared on the news made a very pertinent statement that I think most of us have failed to understand. Which I would like to re echo here for whatever if is worth.
ReplyDeleteHe said that these bombers, or BH, are united in carrying out their havoc..(notice the word united). hence the success of the dastardly acts so far. While on the other hand, we the affected Nigerians cannot seem to remain united to fight a common enemy. In that when this people carry out the attacks, their guns and bombs used are not selective of whom to kill, either sorting by tribe, religion, or whatever. They simply kill and do not care a rat ass who is affected. But that we, the victims, are always criticising ourselves, creating tribal strife and ethnic disparity within ourselves, when we should unanimously fight the common enemy.
Now I find this a true statement because it has become annoying to read comments on the social media especially, with people attacking ibos, yorubas, deltans... Christians and Muslims etc. My question to all is, where will this stereotypes take us? If it would solve the problem then I'll quickly join in. But if it further draws us apart to the detriment of our individual safety, then I say, cut the crap.
The bombs are never instructed to kill Christians alone, nor Muslims, or yorubas. They simply kill anyone and everyone.. This is a fight against humanity and not any bloody tribe or spiritual doctrine. I know we all know this, but some people keep setting us back with baseless arguments attacking themselves and making threads unnecessarily long when we should be proffering solutions and benefiting from our access to the social media.
Please let us stop this and tackle this issues together for the sake of those who are directly affected. As for the presidency, no words for now.
Thank u Stella.
This couldn't have been said any better. I also have said this countless times but who am I? People just refuse to understand that whether these people killing are Muslims or not, the people they kill are not only Christians or pagans. We shouldn't concentrate on their intentions but the act itself. Many people waste time analysing nonsense about Islam or whatever, which is not the case though it may point towards the religion direction. They are killing human beings and that is all that matters. Well.said Mrs zulu. Very well said.
DeleteMrs zulu is back wit her epistle of life. Ma'am do u know u re my blog mum? I mumed u after my fight with sexybukola.
DeleteU re sooooo intelligent.
Haney
@Mrs Zulu God bless you... The earlier we start realising that unity is key, the better for us. I don't have any oda tin to say. Thank you Ma
DeleteMrs Zulu, I agree with you but not all. We should stop the tribal sentiments. I totally agree. The problem is enormous, we fail to tackle the big problem facing this country. We cant even get our act together on the blog and engage in meaningful debate, how do we expect our politicians to do the same. They are busy fighting for Muslim/Christian political ticket. Bullshit. Mrs Zulu said we should tackle this issues together, this is where I disagree with you. I believe the government should tackle the BH issue. You and I can only pray. The bulk stops at Jonathan's desk. Its unheard of, for civilians to go after terrorists, only in Nigeria. It did not taje Obasanjo years to take a firm decision on Odi, how long will it take Jonathan to decide on BH? BH are terrorists and they must be treated as such. Maybe Jonathan needs some sort of blessing from Obama on how operation Jaranimo was achieved. He should grow some balls. He needs it.
DeleteVery well said mrs zulu!!!
Delete@Mr Zulu...Love ur analysis,God help Nigeria/Nigerians
Delete1000 likes for this comment.ur soo on point.lets stop pointing fingers,lets stop being quick to blame d next person.we r all in this shit togeder.
DeleteVery on point
DeleteWoow you said it all ma
DeleteMrs Zulu, spot on. I just love the way u analyse issues whenever you take out time to visit this blog and contribute. For someone like me, who has a weakness for good constructs, am so awed by your articulated thots and how u Marshall em out in writing. Ur firm grasp of the English Language in delivering ur offerings without resorting to diatribes makes me a huge fan
DeleteSame goes for Queen Bee, Sisi Eko and Pink Shell and Wide Eyed. These ladies can write. They caress , finger and excite my intellect.
Mrs Zulu, may God continue to bless u all.
Have a nice day.
Oowww! Mrs zulu,well written..u are just one woman I admire her comments on this blog..very sensible and straight forward..MY LOVE FOR YOU JUST INCREASED 100%..
Delete@ Haney, so we 1c had a fight???? ##tries2remember##........
DeleteMay God help us in dis country##makes d sign of cross##
Kehinde please don't taint the list of those good mannered ladies with inclusion of Pink shell. Besides that she writes crappy stuff full of grammatical blunders and terrible spellings,she is also of bad manners. What excites your intellect in those except your claim to cerebral attraction is dubious. You have a reputation that borders on being a philanderer,if you claim she excites you,then I will assume you are setting up a plan to get her in the sack as another victim of your lifestyle.
DeleteI just love me some Mrs zulu. Uv never disappointed me ever. Very apt analysis and only the wise will relate with this. @kehinde which pink shell?? U ok so? That one that can gbagaun for Olympics? Some of us don't comment but we read comments here. And pink shell is far from being articulate, like anon 5:27 stated. I route for the rest but her biko.
DeleteTufiakwa! Aru! Nke bu aru ne sisi!!! Murders! Abeg give us back our daughter! Muderfuckers! Devils in human skin! I wonder if government is making any plans at all! They sat back there and pretend like nothin' happened! These kids are the future leaders! Hence there case should be given the priority first! Before any other thing!
ReplyDeletePepper ose oku!
Astoundingly these boko haramist are not Muslims,I cannot see any sign that they're followers of Islam because Islam does not teach this kind of sham demeanor!May God expose these animals in human flesh!
ReplyDeleteI'm very optimistic that this hullabaloo in our dearest country will be gone like a mirage
This is painful.
ReplyDeleteGEJ is more concerned about 2015
God save your little ones please
ReplyDeleteLet us not deceive ourselves, the Hausa-Fulani only profess One Nigeria only when one of their likes is the President of Nigeria under the control of the Sultan and Emirs. Any conclave and/or community where you have the Fulani, there is always an armoury dump filled with Guns and heavy Ammunitions, nearby. These armoury dumps funded by the Fulani Cabal from their previously siphoned funds abroad, have been used overtime to dominate or otherwise terrorize other tribes into submission, for political benefits. I was shocked and afraid about 3years ago at Ewekoro by Lafarge Cement in Ogun State, to see an army of over 1,000 dirty looking Fulanis, with arms and dogs going into the nearby bush or forest, ostensibly to hunt for bush meat. When I enquired, was informed that these groups usually move around with buses on special charter basis for the period of not less than 5days that they remain in the bush. Nobody is safe in Nigeria because these groups traverse the length and breadth of the country using lorries and trailers, to hide and move arms and military fatigues among foodstuff, to create Hausa-Fulani communities in far distant local areas, within States around Nigeria.These groups operate with impunity based on the cover of their patrons in the Military,Police, Judiciary etc.
ReplyDeleteThis same Fulani cabal have been the nations's albatross, despite ruling Nigeria more like for ever and have neither improved the lives of their people. They deliberately created Poverty, Almajiris, Maiguards, Marabouts, in the core north to inflame terrorism as well as punish other parts of the North that refused to follow their footsteps, like the Plateau, Adamawa,Benue,Kogi,Northern Christians, Southern Kaduna, etc. This same cabal I believe, also taught the new breed of Southern leaders, how to siphon development funds abroad into Swiss banks. But for the initial failings of Jonathan, no genuine positively thinking Nigerian will ever agree to vote for another Hausa Fulani.
GEJ could get the votes of most Nigerians if he could resolve the USD$20billion question, corruption, poverty and hunger, unemployment. I believe that with the new changes in the administration of Jonathan, he could include these among his other landmark achievements. GEJ should not bother about the Yorubas, they do not follow leaders sheepishly, because they vote based on performance.
Whoever you are,this is brilliant piece! If only GEJ would clean up his act & deliver, re-election would be a piece of cake.All we need is real governance! Those who should be in jail should be sent there,whether PDP or APC PERIOD! Fixing just power & roads would do, but no,they prefer to jump around & waste our money.
DeleteNa wa ooo.
ReplyDeleteIt must be really hard for the parents.
If only dey had an idea of the number of ppl in sambisa forest.
Maybe d civilians, shld outnumba dem, n invade dat forest oo.
Cos as i dey look GEJ isnt bothered.
Na launching of cement dey jonathan mind now.
I really hope n pray dey dont rape dose gals, n dat dey are rescued quickly.
This is so inhuman..GEJ n his chiefs are just there mopping,hands akimbo.Are they expecting us to go fight the BH people or what..what is all these kwanu..9ja govt is beginning to piss me the hell up..Nothing,just nothing is being done about all these..May disaster visit any person,persons,org,party,group plotting,supporting nd may have anything to do with BH..GEJ seek interntional aid na...bikon..am in tears..imagine it to be my sis or daughter..hopeless people
ReplyDeleteAmen oooooo. O God pls bring dem back safely.
ReplyDeleteGod please intervene...
ReplyDeleteMost sensible comment I have ever read on any blog. Mrs Zulu spoke well. Waiting for ignorant bigots like Mamie and co to start spewing their wickedness infested bile. Wankers all of them.
ReplyDeleteNosey.
Chai,y cnt God rain thunder and brimstones on this evil people? God pls liberate this gals oh,we look to only u 4 help,pls father. EVE E UME
ReplyDeleteMrs Zulu, I concur. Even if we merge against a common enemy, who is willing to die? Do u allow ur kids to participate in ordinary "peaceful" protests? I'm a mom & would never let my child. They know we're scared & it's our fear they're capitalising on. May God help us.
ReplyDeleteIn other post I c a few clamour for international help and all of that... But isn't dat wat dey've always wanted? I won't b surprise if dis ppl r even part of d sponsors of bh. They want 2 qet us to d point were we will b so helpless turn to them n den dey take our oil in return. Instead of international assistant let's be united n c wat dat will do.
ReplyDeleteM just hearbroken! Poor poor Girls! Poor poor parents! N we r supposed to hAve a leader,a president.I am just tired! Weary with tears!
ReplyDeleteI really feel for the young girls and their parents
ReplyDeleteI pray a timely intervention occurs.
Mrs Zulu. U couldn't hav said it better. So true indeed. And dat remains our major problem in dis country, tribalism.
ReplyDeletevery well said Mrs Zulu.
ReplyDeleteBoko harram marry person pikin???.. GOD FORBID!!!!
ReplyDeleteWise words Mrs Zulu,Yes we know we all have a common enemy in the group Boko Haram, yes we need unity to fight this War that has come to dehumane us, but my question is, Who are the Boko haram? in as much as it will be of good help if we know who we are fighting, though it will be better if we can recognize them and direct our act of War towards them and them alone, Most people say they are the Northerners, do we then all march to the North and face everyone living in the Northern part of Nigerian? I know as citizen we have little or no knowledge about this sepcific group we are fighting and we cant all have to pick up guns and head to the North to fight but we can together guide our home front by which i mean our neighborhood,if as an individual you notice any strange behavior around you please report it to the authorities as soon as possible, i have seen a couple of Madmen on the streets of Lekki that don't appeal to me as Mad, and when i complain i was told i was too paranoid, but aside paranoia this sort of people can be spies for this Insurgent group for all we know,prevention they say is better than cure. God Bless Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteThe Boko Harams are known by our rulers,at a time Jonathan said they are in his government.Its just greed and wickedness that will not make them take the right decision.Our president is playing politcs with what is happening but this is becoming dangerous by the day.If only they will be honest they will stop them,they are not ghost.I pray God will intervain on behave of this innocent girls and grant them freedom and he will silence the BK from harming them in the other of Daniel that the lion could not consume him Amen.
ReplyDeleteMrs Zulu,you made very reasonable points and i quite agree with you that Nigerians should embrace UNITY(tribal and religious) to be able to fight BH....but the truth is there's a limit to what most Nigerians can do especially as civilians. You and I do not have arms and ammunition to face these people neither are we trained to wage war against these kind of people.
ReplyDeleteThe kind of country we find ourselves is such where nothing works. It is in Nigeria people put a distress call (especially in robbery cases) through to the police for help and you are given excuses such as: there's no fuel in the patrol van,no bullets and if they decide to come, they will delay so much and come only after the deed is done. You call fire service for help and you hear excuses like: there's no water...hmmm only in Nigeria.
Back to the issue....I am very sure Mr. President knows all the answers to our questions concerning BH but for reasons best known to him, he has decided not to act. Will GEJ say he has never heard of the Sambisa camp of BH? Can he deny not knowing their sponsors? The issue is "the more we look,the less we see". Mr.President knows more than we can ever think of but I can tell you,most assuredly, if GEJ does not make a strong move to fight BH, there's very little or nothing ordinary civilians can do. You may say if we notice strange people in our environments, we should alert the police....but the question is how many of such information given to the police are taken serious? How many of such information do they work on?? hmmm....God help Nigeria!!!
I guess a good suggestion like mibe will solve all this shit. Why is because it seems all tge Nigerian security agents loves their individual families and do not want to die for the country's sake and had another person sleep with their wives and spent their succeeded
ReplyDeletestolen monies. Now I suggest that since all has or felling in getting things fix in that country.
1) All government appointees, selected or elected must be sworn in with a powerful and unmercifully Juju before the get into or while in the office.
2) Money should be set aside for any one or group who can use their powers (if they have any) to get these abducted girls out and unharmed.
3) The union of netive airforce in Benin, Calabar etc.should employ to fight the Bokoharam by night while the military airforce bomb them by day.
4) law of imprisonment, and compensation should be awarded to any one or families of anyone who died in the country from fake drugs or carless treatment from any hospital in the country. (The primary individual cause will go to jail and licence strip while the body pay compensation to the families) Any
accident, should be treated as well.
4) Police in the country should not be moving with arms excempt special squard in every LGA and should be the last resort to disarm ofender in any possible mince wit out questioning nor charges.
5) All civil official vehicles should be of thesame brand and of certain amount.
PLS IF YOU AGREE TO MY SURGESTION, VOTE IN UR SUPORT LETS WALK TOWARDS GETTING OUT OF THIS MESS WE ARE IN NIG.
Cos the authority hav realised that God is so merciful & thay are taken that advantage to the detriment of the citizenry.
I REDY MY CASE SO FAR ..