Day 1000: Bring Back Our Girls Group holds marches in France, US, Nigeria

The #BringBackOurGirls group will today stage marches in three countries including France and the United States, in its Global Week of Action to mark Day 1, 000 since the abduction of over 276 Chibok school girls from Chibok Secondary School, Maiduguri, Borno State, on April 14, 2014, by Boko Haram insurgents.

While 57 of the 276 abducted schoolgirls have reunited with their families, the group lamented that government had “again relapsed to the same complacency, lethargy, and inertia that has been recurrent on the tragedy.”

A statement released ahead of its scheduled activities read: “Very sadly, the Nigerian president’s senior special adviser on media and publicity, speaking on the president’s behalf on yesterday’s return of Rakiya Gali said: ‘The president notes that the recovery raises renewed hope that the other captured girls will one day be reunited with their families, friends and community.’

The statement signed by Aisha Yesufu, condemned what it described as “no tone of urgency” in the statement of the special adviser and restated doubts about the Federal Government’s rescue mission.

“Note that he said ‘…will one day’ be reunited with their families…’ Not ‘as soon as it’s humanly possible.’

“Is the strategy that each one would escape of their own accord and be recovered. For how long will the process take? This is excruciatingly pitiful,” the added.

The group, therefore, restated its commitment to proceed with its activities to hold four marches in New York, Washington DC, Paris, Lagos, and Abuja today with possible locations to be added in due course.

While today’s event is to commemorate Day 1,000 of the abductions, further activities in Abuja will include daily marches on themes including internally displaced persons (IDPs), military welfare, corruption and poor governance, endangered education, girl-child vulnerability and insecurity.

The Guardian