People have held a protest rally in the Nigerian capital Abuja to urge authorities to do more to secure the release of scores of schoolgirls kidnapped by militants.
The protesters, including women, relatives of the girls and civil servants, gathered outside the parliament building on Wednesday, vowing to continue their rallies until the freedom of the abducted students.
The demonstrators waved banners reading “Bring Back Our Girls.”
“I personally believe that not enough is being done to rescue our daughters. Please recollect like two, three months ago, 25 girls were abducted from Konduga because the nation has not risen in unison to do something about those 25 girls abducted in Konduga, it is now possible to abduct another two hundred plus, next time maybe it will be more,” said retired civil servant Halita Aliyu.
“We are so frustrated at the fact that 234 children could get missing, and there is actually no coherent explanation as to… the search and rescue operation that is going on concerning them,” said Nigerian Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili.
According to reports, a similar protest rally was held in the city of Chibok.
The schoolgirls were abducted by unknown gunmen in the northern state of Borno two weeks ago.
Since then, there has been no trace of the girls. The Nigerian government has come under mounting criticism for its search and rescue operation.
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.
DB/MAM/MHB
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