Parents and family members react to hearing that more than 230 schoolgirls have likely been sold as brides to a terrorist group
Abuja, Nigeria — It appears that 234 Nigerian school girls have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram, and sold as wives to soldiers in the nearby countries of Chad and Cameroon. Boko Haram is a notorious group that have killed at least 2,300 people in the past 4 years alone.
According to some members of the forest community where the girls were taken, “there have been mass marriages and the girls are being shared out as wives among the Boko Haram militants.” The girls are said to have been sold for just 2,000 naira (or $12 US dollars).
The insurgents then reportedly shot their guns into the air after taking their new brides, and split them into three groups. They then reportedly left the area via several trucks. One solder told the The Guardian that he believes that the kidnappers are being tipped off to the movements of military groups attempting to rescue the girls.
The parents of the girls have grown increasingly frustrated by the government’s response. Some family members are starting to launch their own search, riding motorcycles deep into the surrounding forests in looking for the girls. “All we want from the government is to help us bring our children back,” said one father.
A huge social media campaign has been launch to bring awareness to what is happening. On both Facebook and Twitter, the hashtag #BringBackOurDaughters is being used, but the issue has yet to generate real attention from the mainstream media.
Meanwhile, people in Nigeria have been protesting at the National Assembly, demanding more resources for Nigerian safety forces and for the girls’ safe return home.
Interested ones can help by signing an online petition at: www.change.org/petitions/over-200-girls-are-missing-in-nigeria-so-why-doesn-t-anybody-care-234girls