“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

― Voltaire

One of my online friends, who simply calls himself Thoughtful Mind, sends me daily Inspirational quotes. The quote above is the one for today June 9, 2014.

After reading it, I saw how very aptly the quote describes the group that is marauding about in Nigeria. We have repeatedly said that most members of this group do not understand why they are out killing and destroying, but they must have been fed a lot of absurdities, which have pushed them into committing the atrocities for which they are known. How true.

This is the result of ignorance. For a people who claim that they do not want Western educations, who go about destroying all vestiges of western education, and yet there is so much ignorance amongst them. If they know what they are doing, they will be fighting those responsible for their poverty, those who have used the non-provision of social services in all its forms, including education, in keeping them at the fringes.

The day will come when those ragamuffins will see the light, and that day, they will see their sponsors for what they are, exploiters. And this their fight will implode! … Will become dog eat dog!

World news seems to have gone stale on the Nigerian abducted school girls. Recent news either repeats what we already know, or simply lectures us on what could have been. While I understand that it is a good thing to keep the fate of these girls alive by continually talking about it until the girls are returned, at this point we want to see results. The Nigerian government must not be allowed to push the problems of these girls to the back burner, it must always remain in the forefront, must always remain a priority.

So, let us keep talking about them so that their predicament will not fizzle out and die. Even their abductors are making all efforts to relegate their abduction, by going on daily onslaughts, which they hope will divert attention from the girls, but they will fail as long as we continue to shine the light on the girls. The government too must know that failure to resolve the matter of these girls will tarnish their image even deeper. This could be the chance for them to begin to redeem themselves. The President should realize that because this has happened under his watch, he will be held responsible.

276 missing girls cannot be brushed off like nothing happened, as in everything else. Not this time.

Every day, I scan the news hoping to find some encouraging news about the abducted girls, and today like every other day, nothing. Just the same silence and the occasional and very rare word from a Nigerian government official telling us what they continue to say, that they know where the girls are. We heard this same statement over a month ago from the Military who did nothing about it, and we continue to hear it without anything happening.

By now, one would think that if they really know where those girls are, they would have made a move one way or the other. We don’t hear news about any moves made, or any actions taken, but we continue to hear the Military and the authorities telling us that they know where the girls are.

I am one of those who have always believed that the whereabouts of those girls are known. Read my earlier blogs. Actions like the ones engaged by Boko Haram cannot be sustained unless there are people from within the country, people who now believe that they are so powerful, that they are more powerful than God Himself, who know where those girls are. The question is, for how much longer, and for what gain? I can only see destruction, and nothing constructive.

This is very frustrating to say the least. If I find the way things are not moving towards freeing those girls frustrating, how will the girls find it? It doesn’t make one single sense. To think that these marauders will give notice of their plan to attack and the Military is telling the world that they are outnumbered, underpaid, hungry, and even under armed, and because of all of the above they refuse to do their job of protecting the civilians … This is the height of mutiny. Can’t anyone else see that? How do they think this makes them look? And why should a bunch of fearful ninnies who refuse to do their job, the job they are paid to do, continue to be paid?

I have said it once, and I say it again, the Nigerian Military should either be disbanded, or completely overhauled. Nigeria does not have a Military, with a Military like this that make excuses to justify their incompetence. May God give Nigeria, the once giant of Africa, a fearless leader who will restore the lost glory of that country. Corruption is a canker worm indeed, and it has destroyed that country. God save Nigeria.

Talk of people being out of control, Boko Haram is now definitely out of control. They are now desperately killing and destroying on a daily basis to force world focus back on their activities, and give them a bargaining power over what would be the conditions of their demise. They want to be relevant, they want the Nigerian government and in fact the world to reckon with them, they want to remain in the news, and they are taking the deadliest route to try and achieve this.

Just last Monday, June 2, 2014, they almost wiped out a whole village, killing, pillaging, burning and destroying, all of which is the signature of their style of operation. No day passes that there are no news about their ravages, especially in the North Eastern part of the country. These are their fellow Muslims, and their crime is that they voiced out their criticisms and disagreed with the bloodshed, so in retaliation, they strike!

The Military is afraid of them, and the government seems to be afraid of them too. A government without a Military, that is how Nigeria has been reduced, vulnerable, and open to outside attacks. It is Boko Haram today, it could be any other country tomorrow. How indeed are the mighty fallen?

Still nothing! Complete silence! We hear that there is also a ban on demonstrations in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria for returning our girls, and there are also demonstration bans in other parts of the country. A ban on people agitating over the fate of our abducted girls?! The government doesn’t want to be pressured, doesn’t want to be reminded of her snail pace. Look at how many days have passed and still nothing, no word, no indication of what is going on, what to expect, anything to keep the hopes up

Let me continue to believe that a search is covertly going on, that soon, very soon, we shall all rejoice that the girls are finally back. Those girls must be returned, and we should never forget that they were taken against their will, and are forcibly held hostages. Their condition doesn’t give them any choices. Their only hope is for those of us, who are free, to continue pressuring the government of Nigeria, and the world as a whole to bring an end to this torture. Please, people of goodwill, all over the world, help to free those girls from their abductors, and bring them home. So much time have passed, and we do not want more time to pass.

Although Boko Haram is no more the front line news, they are still parading around killing burning down homes, whole towns, and maiming. They want to remain current and relevant in the news, but I pray the world to call their bluff and ignore them. While ignoring them, may those who are charged with finding and returning those girls not relent in their efforts.

Boko Haram may believe that they can use the seizure of those girls to gain more ground in forcing the North of Nigeria as whole in becoming Moslems. Other blood thirsty groups before them have tried it but failed. They too will fail. In the end, both their sponsors and their remnants will see what a colossal waste of life, time, money and setback, their madness has caused. How can people be so myopic? In this twenty first century, a bunch of ignorant fools want to throw the whole country back into the eighteenth century or even further back.

Our girls will return, this I know for sure, and Boko Haram will go the same way others before it went, into oblivion. And they will go carrying the weight of their sin with them…to hell, and their creators, protectors, and sponsors with them.

News coming out of Nigeria today does not show evidence that the abducted girls will be returned soon. The government officials are still dragging their feet, still baffled at how to effect the release of these girls. There are even talks about the rape of these girls by their abductors. We know for sure that this will happen. There are also talks about whether these girls will keep any pregnancies resulting from such rapes.

To me, this is like putting the cart before the mule. These girls are still in captivity, and all the government is concerned about is how to rehabilitate them. This is Nigeria for you; this is the mentality of the ruling class, always looking for how to distract attention from the main issue.

Please Mr. President Goodluck Jonathan, bring those girls back now first, and after that, only after that can you begin to know how to rehabilitate them. Anything not geared towards the release of those girls is only begging the issue, and showing how gravely incompetent your government is, not that we don’t know that already. Just think of it, 49 days in a hell hole …Very disturbing! No more excuses, just bring those girls back!

Today is Sunday, June 01, 2014, the Ascension Sunday, the day that our Lord left this Earth to go back to His heavenly abode, and the 48th. day of captivity for our girls. Did they know it is Sunday? Would they know it is Sunday? Who will tell them? Do their captors even know? …

Could anyone imagine what it will be like to be thrown into a hole, dark, humid, no light, tight, no space for movement, no lavatory, only standing space, girls stepping on top of one another, possibly no food, no water, waiting, hoping, morning comes, the day breaks, and it is night. Nothing happened today, the 48th. day of their captivity.

Tomorrow will be another day, and again, hope rises.

Look at how much time has passed. I am still counting. I am not sure that the girls will be counting too. For in their place, it will not make any difference whether it is day or night, it may just be better to forget that there are days and nights. This could be the only way that they can bear the torture. They may be living in this daze like condition, living each day not knowing what the next day will bring, thinking that the whole world has given up on them, and resigning themselves to their fate.

But we will never forget. I will never forget, not now not after, not ever. Those girls … they are marked for life, and who can ever expect them to forget? That is, if they survive it. Because from the time they are released and returned, their real problems will begin. They will need to be gradually brought back to life, so that they can live again. They will need to believe again in themselves and in others. It will be tough for them, but nothing can compare with what they could be going through now.

Are these miscreants even listening? Are they even reasoning? Well, whether they are listening or not, whether they can reason or not, the time is nearing when those girls will become too much of a liability for them, if they are not that already. After 47 days this whole saga could possibly not be fun for them many more.