For April 2014, di northeast Nigerian town of Chibok rise to global prominence afta di kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls and di #bringbackourgirls campaign wey involve global figures.
Ten years later, di ongoing threat by violent groups still dey harm di livelihoods of many for di town.
Wiping away tears, Esther Yakubu recall how tough life don be without her daughter Dorcas.
”E don reach 10 years since my daughter dey in captivity with Boko Haram. E no dey easy. Pipo say make I move on, say I get oda pikin dem, but wen I dey alone, I dey think about her.”
Seeing Dorcas belongings for house dey constantly bring back painful memories and e no let her to move forward from her grief. So Esther decide to get rid of dem, except for a few pictures.
”I give out all her tins to pipo wey dey live outside Chibok so dat I no go get dem near me. I just no wan see dem.”
During di night of 14 April 2014, Islamist militant group Boko Haram kidnap 276 schoolgirls from a boarding school for di den little-known town of Chibok.
Di abduction trigger one global social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls, wey involve former US first lady Michelle Obama, Nobel Laureate Malala Yusufzai, and many oda celebrities.
Ten years later, many of di girls don either dey rescued or manage to escape. However, 87 out of those 276 still dey in captivity and dey unaccounted for. Dorcas na one of those missing girls wey bin dey only 16 years old at di time of her abduction.
For her mother Esther, di uncertainty of not knowing about her fate make am nearly impossible to move on.
”I want di goment to let our girls to dey free and let dem come back home. We want to see those wey dey alive so dat we fit dey happy. Those wey no dey alive, make we know so dat we go just give up.”
Esther never receive any official information wia her daughter fit dey, but she bin appear for one ‘proof of life’ video by di hostage takers in 2016. For dat video, Dorcas identify herself as Maida, a new name wey her captors give her.
”If Dorcas fit hear me now, I go tell her say I still dey alive and Chibok town still dey exist, so dat she go have dat eagerness to come back home to see us.”
Reaching Chibok
To tell di tori from dis remote part of northeast Nigeria na long and hard journey in itself. Di road to Chibok start from di neighbouring Adamawa state. Na a long drive through a dry and open landscape.
We drive past one fallen telecom mast. Our guide tell us say e dey suspected say na Boko Haram pull am down to scata communication. How pipo wey dey live here fit call for help?
Di group still dey active for di area.
We pass at least half a dozen military checkpoints before we reach our destination.
Chibok itself na garrison town with a heavy military presence. Di army don set up two further checkpoints and barricades as well as a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew.
Di Government Secondary School for Chibok get a new look. Dem rebuild am for 2021, and e still get a few traces of di events wey happen here dat fateful night.
Dem don demolish di dormitory wia dem kidnap di girls. No sign of wetin happen here ten years ago – except for some blocks of one old concrete floor.
Although e dey relatively new, di cream-coloured painting on some of di school buildings already don dey peel off, perhaps due to di hot weather, wey don also bleach di grass in front of di administrative block to a golden-brown colour.
Muhammad Chiroma get appointment as di new principal wen di school reopen for 2021. E say e get some improvement in security since e start office.
”Almost evri part of di school, within and outside, dey surrounded by di military. We get very tight security. As you come in here, you go just feel as if you dey at home”.
”Parents wey bin send dia children to oda schools don dey bring dem back. We also don dey receive new students wey transfer from oda schools to join us,” e tell us.
Chibok get limited school options, a primary and di goment secondary school.
Mr. Chiroma tell me say e believe say di community dey safe, and e dey confident in di military wey dey guard dem. However, dem don get at least two recent attacks by Boko Haram insurgents as recent as in December 2023 and January 2024. Di gunmen kill at least 14 pipo and tiff food items.
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