Eleven years after the abduction that shocked the world, parents of the remaining 87 Chibok schoolgirls still held by Boko Haram have renewed calls for urgent government action to bring their daughters home, while mourning the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a heartfelt statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Yana Galang and Zannah Mohammed on behalf of the Association of the Parents of the Missing Chibok Girls, the parents acknowledged Buhari’s role in securing the release of 103 girls during his administration.
They also urged the current government to “move beyond rhetoric” and take concrete steps to secure the release of those still in captivity.
“We remember President Buhari’s efforts, but we call on the present administration to bring back our girls—every single one.”
“We express our solemn condolences to the family of former President Muhammadu Buhari and acknowledge the progress made under his leadership during which 103 of our daughters were rescued or released—the highest number recovered under any Nigerian administration since 2014,” the statement read.
“But for many of us, our hopes were ultimately dashed, as 87 of our daughters are still missing. The journey is not over.”
The figures cited are based on verified records from the Murtala Muhammed Foundation.
The mass abduction of 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents in April 2014 triggered global outrage and birthed the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
While 57 girls escaped on the night of the abduction and others were later freed through negotiations and military rescues, dozens remain unaccounted for.
Yakubu Nkeke, one of the affected parents, had said that some of the missing girls have made contact with their families from undisclosed forest locations in Kaduna and the Sambisa area.
“A girl who was rescued from Kaduna forest and taken to the National Security Adviser told me she saw one of our daughters there—Hauwa Musa Maina,” Nkeke said.
He added, “eight of the girls in Sambisa have called their parents, but we cannot trace their exact locations. Some of them want to come home but their ‘husbands’—the terrorists they were forced to marry—won’t let them.”
Nkeke stressed that the parents would not give up hope, saying, “We will continue to make this appeal until all our daughters return to us.”
Executive Director of the Al-Amin Foundation for Peace and Development, Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, urged the Chibok parents to also advocate for the welfare and rehabilitation of the rescued girls, many of whom are struggling to reintegrate into society.
“Many of the rescued girls returned with children born in captivity. We must ensure their healing, empowerment, and education so they can live with dignity and become responsible citizens,” Allamin said.
She emphasized that supporting the rescued girls might also encourage those still in captivity to return.
Following the initial escape of 57 girls in 2014, 128 others were either released after negotiations or found by security forces.
In April 2024, Nigerian troops rescued one of the missing girls from Sambisa forest along with her three children.
Another rescue followed in July 2024, with the military handing over a Chibok girl and 330 other captives to the Borno State government.
A 2023 report by the Murtala Muhammed Foundation revealed that 21 of the freed girls returned with 34 children born during captivity.
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