BEVERLY HILLS, July 23, (THEWILL) – Representatives of minority ethnic groups from the Northeastern part of the country Wednesday in Abuja appealed to Nigerians to be cautious with their agitations for the rescue of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
The representatives made the appeal at a forum organised by the Minority Interest Rights Project (MIRP) on `The Chibok Girls and the Situation in the North.’
They said that the welfare of victims of the conflict and the protection of the communities should be of paramount interest to government and other stakeholders.
A former Secretary to the Old Gongola State Government, Mr. Bala Takaya, said the recent agitation to stampede government into effecting the release of the girls was not in the interest of anybody.
He said it was better to secure a safe release of the girls than to take actions that would endanger their lives.
Takaya said the soldiers had done their best in the circumstances facing them but that the support and cooperation of members of the community was required to end the insurgency.
According to the former SSG, “The soldiers cannot be everywhere but they have been doing their best. We have to realise however that the Boko Haram choose their targets.
He said Boko Haram was against all peace-loving Nigerians and called for a concerted campaign that weakens the support base of the insurgents in the Northeast.
The representive of Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), the umbrella body for all communities in Chibok Local Government Area, Mr. Ibrahim Audu, appealed for more support for the victims of the conflict.
Audu expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts made so far in rescuing the schoolgirls and called for closer collaboration with the community to secure their release and end the crisis.
“The feeling is that of total sadness especially coming from the trauma and the agony. At least you need to be told something so that you can live on hope that something is being done.”
“We are not asking the government to compromise on sensitive security issues but at least let us know that something is being done, like somebody comforting another in grief,” he said.
According to Audu, “whatever means the government deems fit to get these girls out, let them do so and every other thing , we will sort it out later.”
The Coordinator of the Minority Interest Rights Project (MIRP), Mr. Mark Lipdo, said the forum was organised to give a voice to the marginalised segment of the society.
Lipdo said some of the victims had been frustrated and angered by the unprovoked attacks and the minimal support they were receiving from government.
Our aim is to bring cohesion so that they will be able to speak as one and we are seeing it happening.
“Our aim is that things that have been happening particularly concerning the abduction of vulnerable people, especially young girls and women in this conflict, that there should be an approach from the victims that will bring to a lasting solution. So our aim is that at the end of this meeting, the voice of the victims will be heard,” he said.
On her part, the Special Assistant to the President on Ethics and Values, Mrs. Sarah Jibril, called for the setting up of a fund to help alleviate the sufferings of vulnerable groups in the North, especially in the Middle Belt region.
She said it was time for minority groups in the Middle Belt to seek for help to solve their problems rather than wait perpetually for government support.
A position paper is being expected at the end of the forum.
