Black History Month: Remembering The 2014 Boko Haram Kidnappings

The fight continues for the freedom of 276 Nigerian children

The night of April 14, 2014, was a terrifying one for 276 mostly female Christian students who were kidnapped from a secondary school located in the quiet town of Chibok in the northeastern state of Borno, Nigeria. Some of the girls managed to jump off the truck during transport, while others remained captive. Only 57 girls were able to escape in the first few months following the kidnapping.

The group claiming responsibility for the kidnappings was Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria. These abductions sparked global outrage and a campaign for their release termed Bring Back Our Girls. The campaign went viral with a hashtag of the same name, #BringBackOurGirls and various leaders, activists, and celebrities advocated for their freedom.

Since the Kidnappings

With many still missing, some girls have managed to escape over the last several years. A Nigerian human rights lawyer based in the United States, Emmanuel Ogebe, has worked with a number of these girls. In January, Ogebe revealed that after discussions with the girls’ parents, that even more have managed to escape their captors.

“Since the mass abduction seven years ago, more girls have managed to escape and return home earlier this year, but many are still missing.”

In 2016, after numerous negotiations with the Nigerian government, the militant group released twenty-one girls. In 2017, negotiated as a swap between the government and the terrorists, 82 more girls were released. At the end of last month, some girls were still awaiting identification by their families. However, it is not clear how many have managed to escape so far. Today, more than 100 girls are still in the custody of Boko Haram.

More on Boko Haram

As previously stated, Boko Haram is a jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria. The group is also active in Chad, Niger as well as northern Cameroon. The group was formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa ’l-Jihād, Arabic for, People of the Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group was initially nonviolent as their goal had been to purify Islam in northern Nigeria.

In 2009, Abubakar Shekau took over as the group’s leader. Since March 2015, the group has been aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - equivalent to the historical region of Syria, Including present-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and most of Turkey.

The Boko Haram insurgency commenced in 2009 when the group had begun an armed rebellion against the Nigerian government. Shekau became the leader of the insurgence, demonstrating extreme brutality as well as direct targeting of civilians. Since then, it has given rise to significant challenges in security, governance and humanitarian aspects.

The conflict has its roots in issues of enduring religious violence between Nigeria’s Muslim and Christian communities. Boko Haram also aims to establish an Islamic state in the region. Additionally, Boko Haram has allies and support from other extremist groups, namely Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab.

Experiences of captives

According to some sources, the girls, aged 16-18, were used as sexual objects and repeatedly raped, tortured and forced into marriage. Aside from sexual abuse, captives reported being forced into labour, psychological abuse and coerced into religious conversion. Mainly Christian women have been the target and women seeking an education.

Hundreds of women and girls have been captured and held hostage at militant camps since 2009. Testimonials gathered from many victims, also collected by Human Rights Watch, illustrate camps replete with violence and terror.

In their report Those Terrible Weeks in Their Camps: Boko Haram Violence Against Women and Girls in North-east Nigeria, Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls on the Nigerian government to create sounder standards to protect women and girls, providing help for victims and appropriate litigation for those accountable. One young girl, aged 15, held at one of the camps in 2013, was forced to marry a man twice her age. He had threatened her with different weapons and then raping her multiple times while she bled from her injuries in severe pain.

HRW reports that rape in Nigeria is significantly underreported due to the stigma attached to sexual abuse. The country views rape as incredibly shameful with the women accused of its occurrence. If discovered, this can severely diminish their chances of getting married.

“Aside from sexual abuse, captives reported being forced into labour, psychological abuse and coerced into religious conversion. Mainly Christian women are targeted as well as women seeking education.”

Most victims are female, but not all. Survivors also described being subjected to physical and psychological abuse, being forced to participate in military operations, and being forced to cook, clean and perform other household chores. Some served as mules, carrying stolen goods taken by the rebels from the many villages they had attacked.

#WeAreTired

Women in Nigeria are tired of the violence and victim-blaming. All without adequate support and assistance from the Nigerian government. Innocent women are being abducted, raped, and murdered each year. The legal system in Nigeria continues to voice the difficulties women face when attempting to convict rapists. Women don’t have a voice which makes it easier for perpetrators to hurt them, take advantage of them and compromise them.

Last April, a 22-year old Nigerian woman was killed in a church after being brutally raped. This tragedy sparked street protests, an online petition, as well as the Twitter hashtag #WeAreTired. The system is at fault, with police demanding bribes and mistreating families of victims. Boys need education surrounding consent and to learn that no means no. The most recent campaigning has focused on eliminating a culture of “victim-blaming” in Nigerian society.

Daniel Bekele of HRW reports that the Nigerian government has left many young women and their families in fear. He states that the government needs to provide more victim support and prosecute the abusers. The militants should not have the power to demand deals from the government. The government needs to take accountability and take action. Until then, the return of the other missing children and the cycle of terror will undoubtedly continue to churn.

If you are or believe you have identified someone in a trafficking situation, you can take action. Call 911 immediately to notify local law enforcement. You may also call the human trafficking hotlines in Canada and the United States by dialling the numbers below. Both hotlines are open 24/7/365 days of the year and provide services in over 200 languages.