In response to reports alleging that over 100 Chibok girls still held by their Boko Haram captors are unwilling to return home, the Coordinator of Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG, Mrs. Bukky Sonibare, has said the girls have no choice but to return to their parents before other issues they have will be addressed. Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, Sonibare said since the consent of the girls were not sought before their abduction, they should not be allowed to dictate the terms and conditions of their return.
She described the 2014 abduction as a blemish on Nigeria’s image and cautioned the government against using the reported unwillingness to return home as excuse for relenting in the effort to bring them back. “When these girls were abducted, they did not ask to be abducted nor was their collective consent sought.
What happened to them is an unfortunate stigma on our nation. So, they should not be the ones to dictate whether they want to return or not. “It is the responsibilities of government to ensure that the Chibok girls are who were unwillingly abducted without their consent are brought back. After their return, we can now discuss and address other issues they may be having. “Bu
t for the girls to say they don’t want to come back and that becomes an excuse as to why they should not be brought back is foolhardy,” she said. Sonibare assured that BBOG will keep advocating for the return of every one of the abducted girls until there is a logical end to the matter is achieved. “We, as a group, will continue advocating the return of the remaining 197 we are still expecting, and if there is going to be any logical closure, there should be a logical and acceptable explanation as to these other ones should not be brought back. But the excuse that some are saying they do not want to come back is not tenable.”
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