Like his predecessor, President Buhari has faced criticism over his administration’s failure to locate and recover the abductees.
This week will mark the second anniversary of the abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State. The Nigerian government has faced criticism over its failure to rescue the abductees, who were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School by Boko Haram militants. With the exception of 57 girls who managed to escape, the whereabouts of the schoolgirls remains unknown.
The abduction prompted international outcry, making #BringBackOurGirls one of the top trends on Twitter worldwide. Governments and multilateral organizations across the globe condemned the abduction and former President Goodluck Jonathan’s poor handling of the crisis. The UK and US militaries sent experts to Nigeria to assist in the search for the abductees, yet efforts have thus far proved fruitless.
Rumors have recently surfaced alleging that the Nigerian government has been in negotiations with Boko Haram over a N10bn ransom payment for the abductees. However, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman Lai Mohammed has denied these reports. He reiterated the president’s commitment to rescuing the girls, saying that “no day passes” without the rescue of the schoolgirls being a top priority of the government.
Like his predecessor, President Buhari has faced criticism over his administration’s failure to locate and recover the abductees. The president had declared in 2015 that Boko Haram were “technically defeated,” despite saying earlier that he would never make such a claim until the Chibok girls were rescued. His spokesman, however, assures the public that the government is “working very hard” daily on their rescue.
Social media activists have planned global protests for April 14, 2016 in order to stand in solidarity with the victims and to pressure the Nigerian government to rescue the captive schoolgirls.