Author:
“Are they the Chibok girls?” Every time there is news of the women and girls held by Boko Haram – as Jama’at Ahlus-Sunnah Lida’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) is commonly known – this is always one of the first questions; and the answer is usually no.
Then last Sunday JAS released a video apparently showing some of the girls, and demanded the release of fighters in exchange for them.
The abduction of 276 girls from a school in Chibok, in north-east Nigeria, in April 2014 captured national and international attention. The efforts of women activists in the city of Maiduguri and the Bring Back Our Girls campaign prompted global protests and offers of support from governments around the world. The Chibok girls joined corruption, “419” email scams and oil as what the outside world knows of Nigeria.
The attention has all but died down even though, 856 days after the abduction, the majority of the girls are yet to come home. This video, which gave a sign that some were still alive and in JAS hands, has reignited national and international debate about what should be done.]
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