Protesters in Nigeria will take to the streets in the capital, Abuja, over the government’s failure to secure the release of scores of schoolgirls kidnapped by militants two weeks ago.
The protesters are expected to take part in a “million-woman march”, organized by Women for Peace and Justice organization, on Wednesday to urge the government to commit more resources to release the kidnapped girls.
Local officials said gunmen stormed a school in Chibok, a local government area of Borno On April 14, forcing 129 students, aged between 12 and 17, onto a convoy of trucks. They said that 52 of the students have so far escaped.
Locals, including the school officials, rejected the figure, saying that 230 students were kidnapped and that 187 of them are still missing.
Pogo Bitrus, the leader of a Chibok elders group, said on Tuesday that locals were tracking the movements of militants using various sources.
“From the information we received yesterday from Cameroonian border towns our abducted girls were taken… into Chad and Cameroon,” he said.
The local leader also said that the girls were then sold to militants for 2,000 naira (USD12) each.
The report, however, has not been confirmed.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, it has been blamed on Boko Haram.
Boko Haram — whose name means “Western education is forbidden” — says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
Since 2009, the group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria.
SAB/PR/HRB
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