Chibok schoolgirls’ parents express mixed feelings over amnesty for terrorists

Some parents of the abducted Chibok girls have expressed mixed feelings about the Federal Government’s amnesty programme for repentant Boko Haram terrorists.

They said they welcome the news of the mass surrender, it does not assuage the sorrow they had borne since their daughters were kidnapped in 2014.

They added that they were still clinging to the assurances of the government and hoping for their daughters’ safe return.

The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, disclosed that as of August 24, 2021,  at least 2,600 Boko Haram members had surrendered.

According to the governor, the insurgents who surrendered included Boko Haram commanders, IED manufacturers and their families.

Zulum said the repentant insurgents would be trained for reintegration as no law recommends the killing of surrendered insurgents.

He, however, gave the assurance that victims of insurgency would also be well taken care of, saying, “They will not be left behind.”

But in an interview, Abubakar Mallam, a resident of Chibok whose two daughters were among the 276 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok on the night of April 14, 2014, expressed sadness that his daughters, Hamsatu and Maryam, remained in captivity seven years after the abduction.

On amnesty for the insurgents, Mallam said, “Yes, I’m aware. Some of the Boko Haram terrorists have surrendered. Our chairman was contacted and he met with some of them and discussed a few issues. He even identified some of the commanders who held our children captive.

“The repentant commander said that they were treated fairly by the government. They were even given money to start businesses and get good accommodation. Those who surrendered are also urging the others to surrender their weapons to the government.

“But it pains me that the remaining girls, including two of my daughters, have not been released. Their names are Hamsatu Abubakar and Maryam Abubakar.

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“As they have done in the past years, the government only assured us that our children will be released. They urged us to commit the situation to prayers. But it has been seven years already.

 “My constant prayer is for God to bring them alive and for those who are dead, may their souls rest in peace.”

Another parent, Emmanuel Mutah, whose daughter was kidnapped, said that “besides extending their condolences and giving us promises, the government hasn’t delivered my daughter back to me.”

“She was in school preparing for her final exams. The news reached us early the next day that Boko Haram invaded their school and captured some female students.

“We searched earnestly around the school environment and deep into the bush but there was no trace of the girls or the kidnappers. We were warned that the terrorists were heavily armed and we didn’t stand a chance. So, we tearfully returned home.

“I am happy they are surrendering already. But I still want my daughter back,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Abducted Chibok Girls Parent Association, Yakubu Nkeki, told our correspondent that although the return of their daughters remains the primary goal, he nevertheless supports the amnesty programme of the government.

He added that through the programme, two of the abducted girls had been found among the surrendered insurgents and were taken for rehabilitation before being returned to their families.

“As parents of the victims, we cannot tell the government that amnesty is not the way forward. At the end of the day, we want to see our children released through whatever strategy they can deploy.

“In fact, we found two of the Chibok girls among those who came forward to surrender. One of them is Ruth Gladar. I was contacted to come along with their parents.

“But we couldn’t hand them over to their parents immediately, considering the circumstances they have been through. They were catered for through therapy and counselling before being handed over to their parents. I also met their husbands,” he said.

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