The has rolled a programme to mark, today, Saturday, October 5, 2019, the 2,000 days, five and a half years, of the abduction of 276 schoolgirls by terrorists from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, North-East Nigeria, in the early hours of April 14, 2014.

In Lagos, the #BringBackOurGirls Movement, which has been meeting every Saturday for over five years, said Friday in a statement: “We shall maintain our vigil and roll call of the names of the missing. We will commemorate this tragic anniversary of 2,000 days in captivity for 112 Chibokgirls this Saturday, October 5th from 12 to 1pm at Falomo Roundabout, Ikoyi, Lagos and enjoin concerned parents, brothers, sisters, friends, uncles, aunties, grandparents, civil society, politicians, members of the forces of law and order to join us. The fight for the Chibok Girls is a fight for safe schools, for safe communities, for a safe country! It is a fight for the soul of Nigeria!”

“The ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ families in Abuja, Lagos, New York & Washington, DC call on our Local, State and Federal Governments to accelerate the actions necessary to bring back the rest of our Chibok Girls, Leah Sharibu and all other victims of kidnapping, especially schoolchildren, to their distressed families and an anxiously waiting nation,” Lagos BBOG said in a statement signed by Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi; Adwoa Edun; Aisha Oyebode;

Ayo Obe; Babasola Olalere; F.T. Adebayo; Habiba Balogun; Monday Ojon; Ngozi Iwere; ’Yemi Adamolekun; and Yemisi Ransome-Kuti.

The statement further said: “The #BringBackOurGirls Movement, which started in Abuja in April 2014, has spread nationally and internationally with BBOG groups at various times in Osogbo, Ibadan, London, Lagos, New York and Washington DC. Citizens from every continent show their support for the movement at milestone moments. The movement has a singularity of purpose, and a specific demand, Bring back our girls, NOW and ALIVE’. The Chibok Girls, whose names and identities we know, symbolize all Nigerians who have been abducted by terrorists and we demand that the Federal Government fulfil its constitutional responsibility of securing the life of every Nigerian, ensuring safe schools and safe communities!

“While we acknowledge efforts of the federal government so far in recovering and rehabilitating 107 Chibok girls; securing the release of 106 Dapchi girls; responding with urgency when subsequent incidents have occurred; building up the capabilities and welfare of the police and military, we will not relent in our advocacy and strident demands for the rescue of our school children and fellow citizens from captivity, especially because after the initial efforts to rescue those in captivity, government has been silent on further steps and mechanisms like the Chibok Hotline is no longer functional.

“Indeed, kidnapping has become as prevalent as petty theft. We demand justice for the survivors and the slain. We acknowledge and honour the sacrifice of our military and police officers and express our gratitude and prayers to the families of our heroes in the police and armed forces.”

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