By Blogger
(LEADERSHIP WEEKEND Nov. 1, 2014)
(LEADERSHIP WEEKEND Nov. 1, 2014)
When Boko Haram terrorists took away his daughter, Amina, alongside over 200 others into what is today adjudged as one of the world’s longest mass captivity, Mr Jonah Bulama had never believed that he would spend a week waiting for his girl to be rescued and reunited with the family.
“It is just happening to us like a dream; everyday we wake up to look at the photograph of Amina, and our emotions would soak in the moist of bitterness that we are alive and well but we could not do anything to help our daughters”, said Mr Bulama.
It was exactly on day-195 after the Chibok schoolgirls were abducted that Mr Bulama placed a call to LEADERSHIP Weekend Reporter - and his question was a chilling as ice.
“Is there anything good we expect to hear about our girls?”, he asked in a very frail and somber voice.
“We have heard about the ceasefire, we have been told over the media that our girls would be released a week after the ceasefire was announced, but how can we be hopeful when the same people are still attacking and killing people; don't you think these people are just playing with our emotions?”
Mr Bulama, just like many parents and relatives of the abducted girls felt government had abandoned them to their plights and nobody seems to be talking to them.
“It is sad that no one is talking to us about our girls who were taken away, not in our homes, but in the custody of government and yet we are being ignored. Some times we feel abandoned because no one is talking to us about our abducted daughter - we only have you people in the media to talk to with the hope that you might have some inkling about what is going on”.
Mr Bulama isn't the only one in this plight, many other parents are. As a matter of fact, not all the parents have the strength of Bulama in being able to pull through this harrowing experience of trauma and anguish. Many other parents - both fathers and mothers had long died of trauma while several others have been turned into human vegetables as they now suffer post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD).
According to Dr Danladi, the Medical Officer of Chibok General Hospital, at least seven of the parents of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls who could not stand the trauma of their daughters’ continuous captivity in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists have so far died.
“Presently we can officially say that at least seven of the parents of the girls, mostly the fathers, have died of trauma, while we have over ten confirmed cases of PTSD and several others who are suffering from trauma-induced hypertension”, said the source.
“We have tried as much as possible to shield the news about Boko Haram insurgents’ attack from those with serious psychological ailment due to the absence of their daughters so that their conditions that we are managing would not worsen, but all to no avail. In fact one of the women with the worst case of PTSD had severally attempted commit suicide but we had to prevent her”, said Dr Danladi.
The medical doctor explained that conditions of more of these parents would continue to deteriorate especially with the worsening spate of attacks and carnage being perpetrated by the Boko Haram terrorists.
LEADERSHIP Weekend further gathered that apart from the trauma that has long posed a serious challenge to the physical and mental health of the parents, the seeming insincerity of government towards the rescue efforts is another virtual killer pill that is slowly telling on the wellbeing of the parents of the Chibok schoolgirls.
A very senior Borno state government official who hails from Chibok local government had picked hole in the way the federal government had so far handled the issue of rescuing the abducted girls , as he said “it was more of words than action.
“From the day-one we begin to have doubts about the sincerity of the federal government when they went and announced that about 190 of the girls had been rescued by soldiers, when we all knew that it was all false”, said the officials who pleads anonymity.
The Chibok man also expressed his displeasure with what he described as the politicisation of the whole abduction saga.
“We have been deceived over and over again that soldiers from within and even from America would be sent down to Sambisa forest to help us rescue the girls, but till date it was all silent, no news about our girls.
Dr Danladi of Chibok General Hospital had once in an interview with Leadership said the continuous stay of the girls in captivity might at the end of the day caused a double jeopardy.
“No parent can imagine having his or her child in the hands of criminals for even an hour, talk more of girls being held somewhere in the jungle for months; definitely, both the parents and even the abducted girls would suffer serious trauma that could affect their health”, said the medical doctor.
The federal government had repeatedly assured Nigerians that it is not sleeping on its promise to rescue the 219 abducted Chibok schoolgirls currently believed to be in the custody. But hitherto, no one, including members of the Nigeria armed forces had given a clear explanation to why the girls would remain in captivity for this long.
Just recently, the news went viral that following the ceasefire deal signed by the federal government and some leaders of Boko Haram, the insurgents had agreed to release the girls some seven days after.
Though the seven days promised for the release of the girls as announced by the purported secretary general of Boko Haram had elapsed by over a week now, some members of Borno community believed it was yet another gimmick.
“They had also said that as part of the ceasefire agreement, the Chibok girls would be released in a week; and I quarrelled that if the ceasefire is true, why should they be waiting for a whole week before they release these poor girls”, quizzed a Borno elder, Dr Bulama Mali Gubio.
“These are human beings and not guns or bombs; girls are girls; they are children; they do not need to remain there for unto 48 hours before they are released - this alone give us reasons to doubt genuineness of our government in this matter.
“We are not opposed to government negotiating with Boko Haram; in fact we had sent many delegations from the northern Nigerina to the president on the need to end this insurgency via dialogue with Boko Haram. But if any dialogue is to be reached, it should be done with certainty, it should be done with a lot of genuine efforts - politics should not be brought into it. But if they choose to do otherwise, it means some people are not truly interested in alleviating our sufferings; then we will be left with no alternative than to go back to God and continue to seek for his face in this matter.
For the parents of the abducted girls, it thus seem that rather than showing them sincere empathy, some individuals had chosen to turn their plight into their selfish gains - either pecuniary or political.
Mr Bulama Jonah told LEADERSHIP Weekend recently that he was amazed when some individuals both at the state and in Abuja have turned the abduction of their girls into a franchise where they could easily buy into for personal benefits.
“We never knew human beings could be so cold hearted until when this unfortunate plight befell us”, said Jonah. “Nothing could be compared to our daughters, but unfortunately when government in the state sent in relief items for the victims of the abduction, we witnessed how those food items and even money were being cornered and diverted”.
“When we went to Abuja, monies were given as transport fare and the whole world was accusing us of trading off our children for pecuniary benefit, but little did those critic knew that even we that were invited did not benefit half of the said amount; it all went into the pockets of some certain individuals”, he said.
“We were not interested in anybody’s money but the freedom of our daughters; that is all we wanted from government under whose custody the girls were taken. But no body should be using us for personal gains; there are lots of atrocities that are being committed in the name of our abducted daughters of which we would begin to expose in due course.
“We have been abandoned by everybody, including the government officials; the only people talking and remembering us consistently is the Bring Back Our Girls group in Abuja whom we see everyday sitting out for the sake of our daughters; may God reward them”,Bulama lamented.
Wife of Mr Bulama, who had become a shadow of her past self, still has tears rolling down her emaciated face and swollen eyes as she would recall her last interaction with her daughter
“The last time I saw my daughter was on Sunday the 13th of April when she came to our village in Kautikari, which is under Chibok local government, to collect her fee for the production of her school testimonial certificate. She said the school forced them home to collect the fee; and she came in on Saturday to return on Sunday so that she could sit for her next examination that was supposed to be conducted on Monday. Amina is just 17 years old and a science student who always dream of becoming a scientist. She is my second daughter and she has younger siblings too; She is very quiet compared to others; she hardly quarrels or fight with people as other children would do; she is very brilliant and her father encouraged her to read sciences”.
“I am no longer feeling well; every day I cry and I can't remember the last time I had a good sleep as the thought of my girl always keep me awake; even when I tried to encourage myself by cheering up, I would later breakdown if any of her younger ones asks me about the whereabout of their sister, Amina…(sobbing). I really miss her so much and we all do love her, because she is one quiet, gentle girl…
“I plead with the government not to abandon these girls who were taken into captivity while in their custody in the school; how could they just leave these girls to continue to be with these bad people that have no mercy for human lives for over four months now. We hear all sought of tales that our daughters have been sold away, that they are now wives to the terrorists, that they have become suicide bombers; these are really outrageous and I don't want to believe any of them because I know my girl, Amina would not do anything bad to harm any one. Government must not abandon my girl; I need her and would be grateful if they bring her to me in whatever condition she may be in today”, lamented Mrs Bulama.
“It is just happening to us like a dream; everyday we wake up to look at the photograph of Amina, and our emotions would soak in the moist of bitterness that we are alive and well but we could not do anything to help our daughters”, said Mr Bulama.
 |
| Parents of abducted Chibok schoolgirls Weeping for their yet to be rescued daughters (Photo by Blogger) I also But over 200 days later, Mr Bulama could only express his shock and increasing disappointment that neither the government of his country, Nigeria, nor the foreign forces could help bring back his girl and her other abducted classmates. |
“Is there anything good we expect to hear about our girls?”, he asked in a very frail and somber voice.
“We have heard about the ceasefire, we have been told over the media that our girls would be released a week after the ceasefire was announced, but how can we be hopeful when the same people are still attacking and killing people; don't you think these people are just playing with our emotions?”
Mr Bulama, just like many parents and relatives of the abducted girls felt government had abandoned them to their plights and nobody seems to be talking to them.
“It is sad that no one is talking to us about our girls who were taken away, not in our homes, but in the custody of government and yet we are being ignored. Some times we feel abandoned because no one is talking to us about our abducted daughter - we only have you people in the media to talk to with the hope that you might have some inkling about what is going on”.
Mr Bulama isn't the only one in this plight, many other parents are. As a matter of fact, not all the parents have the strength of Bulama in being able to pull through this harrowing experience of trauma and anguish. Many other parents - both fathers and mothers had long died of trauma while several others have been turned into human vegetables as they now suffer post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD).
According to Dr Danladi, the Medical Officer of Chibok General Hospital, at least seven of the parents of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls who could not stand the trauma of their daughters’ continuous captivity in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists have so far died.
“Presently we can officially say that at least seven of the parents of the girls, mostly the fathers, have died of trauma, while we have over ten confirmed cases of PTSD and several others who are suffering from trauma-induced hypertension”, said the source.
“We have tried as much as possible to shield the news about Boko Haram insurgents’ attack from those with serious psychological ailment due to the absence of their daughters so that their conditions that we are managing would not worsen, but all to no avail. In fact one of the women with the worst case of PTSD had severally attempted commit suicide but we had to prevent her”, said Dr Danladi.
The medical doctor explained that conditions of more of these parents would continue to deteriorate especially with the worsening spate of attacks and carnage being perpetrated by the Boko Haram terrorists.
LEADERSHIP Weekend further gathered that apart from the trauma that has long posed a serious challenge to the physical and mental health of the parents, the seeming insincerity of government towards the rescue efforts is another virtual killer pill that is slowly telling on the wellbeing of the parents of the Chibok schoolgirls.
A very senior Borno state government official who hails from Chibok local government had picked hole in the way the federal government had so far handled the issue of rescuing the abducted girls , as he said “it was more of words than action.
“From the day-one we begin to have doubts about the sincerity of the federal government when they went and announced that about 190 of the girls had been rescued by soldiers, when we all knew that it was all false”, said the officials who pleads anonymity.
The Chibok man also expressed his displeasure with what he described as the politicisation of the whole abduction saga.
“We have been deceived over and over again that soldiers from within and even from America would be sent down to Sambisa forest to help us rescue the girls, but till date it was all silent, no news about our girls.
Dr Danladi of Chibok General Hospital had once in an interview with Leadership said the continuous stay of the girls in captivity might at the end of the day caused a double jeopardy.
“No parent can imagine having his or her child in the hands of criminals for even an hour, talk more of girls being held somewhere in the jungle for months; definitely, both the parents and even the abducted girls would suffer serious trauma that could affect their health”, said the medical doctor.
The federal government had repeatedly assured Nigerians that it is not sleeping on its promise to rescue the 219 abducted Chibok schoolgirls currently believed to be in the custody. But hitherto, no one, including members of the Nigeria armed forces had given a clear explanation to why the girls would remain in captivity for this long.
Just recently, the news went viral that following the ceasefire deal signed by the federal government and some leaders of Boko Haram, the insurgents had agreed to release the girls some seven days after.
Though the seven days promised for the release of the girls as announced by the purported secretary general of Boko Haram had elapsed by over a week now, some members of Borno community believed it was yet another gimmick.
“They had also said that as part of the ceasefire agreement, the Chibok girls would be released in a week; and I quarrelled that if the ceasefire is true, why should they be waiting for a whole week before they release these poor girls”, quizzed a Borno elder, Dr Bulama Mali Gubio.
“These are human beings and not guns or bombs; girls are girls; they are children; they do not need to remain there for unto 48 hours before they are released - this alone give us reasons to doubt genuineness of our government in this matter.
“We are not opposed to government negotiating with Boko Haram; in fact we had sent many delegations from the northern Nigerina to the president on the need to end this insurgency via dialogue with Boko Haram. But if any dialogue is to be reached, it should be done with certainty, it should be done with a lot of genuine efforts - politics should not be brought into it. But if they choose to do otherwise, it means some people are not truly interested in alleviating our sufferings; then we will be left with no alternative than to go back to God and continue to seek for his face in this matter.
For the parents of the abducted girls, it thus seem that rather than showing them sincere empathy, some individuals had chosen to turn their plight into their selfish gains - either pecuniary or political.
Mr Bulama Jonah told LEADERSHIP Weekend recently that he was amazed when some individuals both at the state and in Abuja have turned the abduction of their girls into a franchise where they could easily buy into for personal benefits.
“We never knew human beings could be so cold hearted until when this unfortunate plight befell us”, said Jonah. “Nothing could be compared to our daughters, but unfortunately when government in the state sent in relief items for the victims of the abduction, we witnessed how those food items and even money were being cornered and diverted”.
“When we went to Abuja, monies were given as transport fare and the whole world was accusing us of trading off our children for pecuniary benefit, but little did those critic knew that even we that were invited did not benefit half of the said amount; it all went into the pockets of some certain individuals”, he said.
“We were not interested in anybody’s money but the freedom of our daughters; that is all we wanted from government under whose custody the girls were taken. But no body should be using us for personal gains; there are lots of atrocities that are being committed in the name of our abducted daughters of which we would begin to expose in due course.
“We have been abandoned by everybody, including the government officials; the only people talking and remembering us consistently is the Bring Back Our Girls group in Abuja whom we see everyday sitting out for the sake of our daughters; may God reward them”,Bulama lamented.
Wife of Mr Bulama, who had become a shadow of her past self, still has tears rolling down her emaciated face and swollen eyes as she would recall her last interaction with her daughter
“The last time I saw my daughter was on Sunday the 13th of April when she came to our village in Kautikari, which is under Chibok local government, to collect her fee for the production of her school testimonial certificate. She said the school forced them home to collect the fee; and she came in on Saturday to return on Sunday so that she could sit for her next examination that was supposed to be conducted on Monday. Amina is just 17 years old and a science student who always dream of becoming a scientist. She is my second daughter and she has younger siblings too; She is very quiet compared to others; she hardly quarrels or fight with people as other children would do; she is very brilliant and her father encouraged her to read sciences”.
“I am no longer feeling well; every day I cry and I can't remember the last time I had a good sleep as the thought of my girl always keep me awake; even when I tried to encourage myself by cheering up, I would later breakdown if any of her younger ones asks me about the whereabout of their sister, Amina…(sobbing). I really miss her so much and we all do love her, because she is one quiet, gentle girl…
“I plead with the government not to abandon these girls who were taken into captivity while in their custody in the school; how could they just leave these girls to continue to be with these bad people that have no mercy for human lives for over four months now. We hear all sought of tales that our daughters have been sold away, that they are now wives to the terrorists, that they have become suicide bombers; these are really outrageous and I don't want to believe any of them because I know my girl, Amina would not do anything bad to harm any one. Government must not abandon my girl; I need her and would be grateful if they bring her to me in whatever condition she may be in today”, lamented Mrs Bulama.
No comments:
Post a Comment