Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping
 Parents mourn their daughters taken in the kidnapping | |
| Date | 15 April 2014 |
|---|---|
| Location | Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria |
| Coordinates | 10°51′57″N 12°50′49″E / 10.865833°N 12.846944°E |
| Outcome | More than 250 female students abducted by Islamist militants |
| Missing | 223 |
| Suspects | Boko Haram |
On the night of 14–15 April 2014, approximately 276 female and mainly Christian[1] students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. The kidnappings were claimed by Boko Haram, an Islamic Jihadist and Takfiri terrorist organisation based in northeast Nigeria.
Background
The insurgent group Boko Haram is opposed to what they perceive as the "Westernisation" of Nigeria, which they maintain is the root cause of criminal behaviour in the country.[2] Thousands of people have been killed in attacks perpetrated by the group, and the Nigerian federal government declared a state of emergency in May 2013 in Borno State in its fight against the insurgency.[3] The resulting crackdown has led to the capture or killing of hundreds of Boko Haram members, with the remainder retreating to mountainous areas from which they have increasingly targeted civilians.[4] However, the campaign has failed to stabilise the country. A French military operation in Mali also pushed Boko Haram and al-Qaeda terrorists into Nigeria.[5]
Since 2010, Boko Haram has targeted schools, killing hundreds of students. A spokesperson for the group said such attacks would continue as long as the Nigerian government continued to interfere with traditional Islamic education. 10,000 children have been unable to attend school as a result of the activities by Boko Haram.[2] Boko Haram has also been known to kidnap girls, who it believes should not be educated, and use them as cooks or sex slaves.[5]
Boko Haram's attacks have intensified in 2014. In February, the group hacked to death more than 100 Christian men in the villages of Doron Baga and Izghe.[5] Also in February, 59 students were killed in the Federal Government College attack in northeastern Nigeria.[6] In March, the group attacked the Giwa military barracks, freeing captured militants.[5] The abduction occurred on the same day as a bombing attack in Abuja in which at least 88 people died.[7] Boko Haram has been blamed for nearly 4,000 deaths in 2014.[5] According to the US government, al Qaeda training in recent years has helped Boko Haram intensify its attacks.[8]
Kidnapping
On the night of 14–15 April 2014, a group of militants attacked the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria. They broke into the school, shooting the guards.[9] A large number of students were taken away in trucks, possibly into the Sambisa Forest. Houses in Chibok were also burnt down in the incident.[7] The school had been closed for four weeks prior to the attack due to the deteriorating security situation, but students from multiple schools had been called in to take final exams in physics.[7][10][11]
There were 530 students from multiple villages registered for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, although it was unclear how many were in attendance at the time of the attack.[12] The children were aged 16 to 18 and were in their final year of school.[13] Initial reports said 85 students were kidnapped in the attack. Over the 19–20 April weekend, the military released a statement that said more than 100 of 129 kidnapped girls had been freed. However, the statement was retracted, and on 21 April, parents said 234 girls were missing.[5] A number of the students escaped the kidnappers in two groups.[14] According to the police approximately 276 children were taken in the attack of which 53 had escaped as of 2 May.[12] Additional reports of missing girls were still coming in at that time.[11]
Aftermath
The students were subsequently forced into marriage with members of Boko Haram, with a reputed "bride price" of ₦2,000 each ($12.50/£7.50).[15][16] Many of the students were taken to the neighbouring countries of Chad and Cameroon, with sightings reported of the students crossing borders with the militants, and sightings of the students by villagers living in the Sambisa Forest.[17][16] The forest is considered a refuge for Boko Haram.[16] Local residents have been able to track the movements of the students with the help of contacts across north eastern Nigeria.[16]
On 2 May, the police said it was still unclear the exact number of students who were kidnapped. They asked parents to provide documents so an official count could be made since school records were damaged in the attack.[12] On 4 May, the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, spoke publicly about the kidnapping for the first time, saying the government was doing everything it could to find the missing girls.[13] At the same time, he blamed parents for not supplying enough information about their missing children to the police.[8] A Chibok elder dismissed Jonathan's assurance as "mere talk".[13]
On 5 May, a video in which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the kidnappings emerged. Shekau claimed that "Allah instructed me to sell them...I will carry out his instructions."[13] and "Slavery is allowed in my religion, and I shall capture people and make them slaves."[18] He said the girls should not have been in the school and instead have gotten married[13] and that girls as young as nine are suitable for marriage.[18] Following the kidnapping incident, Boko Haram again abducted eight girls aged between 12–15 from northeast Nigeria.[19]
Reaction
Governor Kashim Shettima demanded to visit Chibok, despite being advised that it was too dangerous. The military was working with vigilantes and volunteers to search the forest near the Nigeria-Cameroon border on 21 April.[5] The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNICEF condemned the abduction.[22]
Parents and others took to social media to complain about the government's perceived slow and inadequate response. On 30 April and 1 May, protests demanding more government action were held in several Nigerian cities.[11] Most parents, however, were afraid to speak publicly for fear their daughters would be targeted for reprisal. On 3 and 4 May, protests were held in major Western cities including Los Angeles and London. At the same time, the hash tag #BringBackOurGirls trended globally on Twitter as the story continued to spread.[8] A woman who helped organise protests was detained by the police, apparently because the First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan, felt slighted when the woman showed up for a meeting instead of the mothers of victims. The woman was released soon after. Reports said the First Lady had further incensed protestors by suggesting some abduction reports were faked by Boko Haram supporters.[13] Several online petitions were created to pressure the Nigerian government to act against the kidnapping.[23][24]
The President of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria called on Muslims to fast and pray "in order to seek Allah's intervention in this precarious time."[25] Al-Haji Sa’ad Abubakar III, sultan of Sokoto, has also called for prayers and intensified efforts to release the innocent girls from Boko Haram militants.[26] On 30 April, hundreds marched on the Nigerian parliament to demand government and military action against the kidnappers.[27]
The scale of the kidnapping was unprecedented, which led the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell to declare that Boko Haram's strength "appears to be increasing. The government's ability to provide security to its citizens appears to be decreasing."[5] Director of the Atlantic Council's Africa Center J. Peter Pham said "The failure of the government to even get a clear count further reinforces a perception of systemic governmental failure".[5]
International governmental response
The United Kingdom and the United States are both preparing to send experts to Nigeria to assist in the search for the students.[28] The British experts will be drawn from various governmental departments including the Foreign Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence, and will concentrate on planning, co-ordination and advice to local authorities. The American team will consist of military and law enforcement officers, specializing in "intelligence, investigations, hostage negotiation, information-sharing and victim assistance."[28] The US is not considering sending armed forces to Nigeria.[28]
References
- ^ Zaimov, Stoyan (8 May 2014). "Most of Boko Haram Kidnapped Schoolgirls Are Christians, Nigerian Evangelist Says". Christian Post. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ a b McElroy, Damien (6 July 2013). "Extremist attack in Nigeria kills 42 at boarding school". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Nigeria school attack claims 42 lives". The Australian. Agence France-Presse. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Adamu, Adamu; Faul, Michelle (6 June 2013). "School attack kills 30 in northeast Nigeria". Newsday. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dorell, Oren (21 April 2014). "Terrorists kidnap more than 200 Nigerian girls". USA Today. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "Boko Haram kills 59 children at Nigerian boarding school". The Guardian. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Perkins, Anne (23 April 2014). "200 girls are missing in Nigeria – so why doesn't anybody care?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Abubakar, Aminu; Levs, Josh (5 May 2014). "'I will sell them,' Boko Haram leader says of kidnapped Nigerian girls". CNN. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "88 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists still missing". The Guardian. Associated Press. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "230 schoolgirls still missing after Boko Haram raid". Times Live. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ a b c "Authorities – 276 Kidnapped Girls Still Missing in Nigeria". VOA. Nigeria: All Africa. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "Nigerian Police Begin Documentation of Kidnapped Girls". Premium Times. All Africa. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Boko Haram admits abducting Nigeria girls from Chibok". BBC News. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "Chibok abductions in Nigeria: 'More than 230 seized'". BBC News. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Boko Haram kidnapped the 230 school girls as wives for its insurgents". The Rainbow. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d Heaton, Laura (30 April 2014). "Nigeria: kidnapped schoolgirls 'sold as wives to Islamist fighters'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ Hassan, Turaki A; Sule, Ibrahim Kabiru; Mutum, Ronald (29 April 2014). "Abducted girls moved abroad". Daily Trust. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ^ a b CNN: "Boko Haram: The essence of terror" by Tim Lister May 6, 2014
- ^ "Boko Haram kidnaps more girls in Nigeria", ABC, AU, 2014 May 6
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Ries, Brian (6 May 2014). "Bring Back Our Girls: Why the World Is Finally Talking About Nigeria's Kidnapped Students". Mashable. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ Litoff, Alyssa (6 May 2014). "Home> International 'Bring Back Our Girls' Becomes Rallying Cry for Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls". ABC News. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "UN calls for immediate release of abducted school girls in north-eastern Nigeria" (Press release). UN News Centre. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Over 200 girls are missing in Nigeria: please help find them, bring back our girls, Change.
- ^ Nigerian schoolgirls, Walk free.
- ^ "Nigeria Muslims Fast for Abducted Girls". On Islam. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "US Muslims Slam 'Un-Islamic' Boko Haram". On Islam. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "Hundreds march: Nigeria Chibok schoolgirl kidnappings by Boko haram", The Guardian, 2014 Apr 30
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c "Kidnapped schoolgirls: British experts to fly to Nigeria 'as soon as possible'". The Guardian. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
External links
| Part of a series on |
| Forced labour and slavery |
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- The Forgotten Ones Project features an activist-led campaign for the rescue of the students
- @BringGirlsBack - A Twitter channel devoted to the kidnapped students
- Why is the media ignoring 200 missing girls? (Salon.com)
