by Wilfred Okiche

They never expected it.

From the seeming trusting safety of their school walls, exactly one year ago, 276 young girls; innocent and impressionable, were abducted in one of the most brazen acts of terrorism to occur in Nigeria’s crisis torn North-East region.

Their first offence was their insistence on seeking formal education. The second? The misfortune of existing smack in the thick of Boko Haram’s now 6 year insurgency against the Nigerian nation.

There was quiet at first, then disquiet, then shock, then outrage. How in the world would human beings be so callous? What kind of persons would just take away children from their school? But even more outrageous was the shocking response to the tragedy.

At first there was no response at all. Then the cascade of insensitive missteps commenced. The military claimed to have rescued them, then it turned out they didn’t. The state government appeared overwhelmed by the larger Borno nightmare. The federal government intended to ignore the news, hoping it would quietly go away like others before it. It didn’t.

Then came the flurry of denials, the investigating committee, the show of shame starring first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, the inappropriate hashtag that must have originated only from the mind of a degenerate, the antagonism towards the protesters, the invitation to the parents of the victims that turned into another money sharing bacchanal, the taunting from leaders the world over, the cease fires that were negotiated by hopeless government spokespersons and the insensitive photo ops with parents of the victims by high ranking government officials who should have known better.

Meanwhile 57 of the girls had managed to escape, with no help at all from security forces. The remaining 219 still missing, till this day, visible only from the video recording of the crazed terrorist Abubakar Shekau.

Thanks to remarkable Nigerians, the story of the missing girls has never for once left the public spotlight. Weathering hostilities from a federal government that should have taken charge, hard boiled cynics and even physical attacks, the #BringBackOurGirls group led by the duo of Obiagaeli Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman have refused to back down until the missing girls are found. Their advocacy snowballed into a worldwide phenomenon, with various world leaders joining in, demanding that those who are responsible bring back our girls.

Gone are those heady days when the world’s attention was focused on this single issue. The news cycle is short, and the pain and outrage have been dulled by time but the reality remains the same. 219 girls are in some terrorists’ lair. Government promises to be working round the clock but the whereabouts of the girls still remain unknown.

Some good news? 21 of the escapees have been offered scholarships to attend the American University of Nigeria in Yola, their wish for a decent education, fulfilled by well-meaning individuals. The government of President Goodluck Jonahan who handled the matter with such careless disregard has been rejected by disenchanted Nigerians at the polls, with results from Borno state proving the final nail in the coffin for Jonathan’s second term bid.

The president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari has promised in a statement marking the one year anniversary, that while he cannot promise to bring the girls home, his government would make their rescue a priority and exploit every possible means available to get them home.

It is up to us then, every single Nigerian citizen to make sure that the government and security forces are alive to their duties. While fearing for the worst, it is important that we keep hope alive and not fail these girls all over again. Until they return home, it is everybody’s duty to not forget. It is our collective responsibility to constantly demand and challenge and encourage and pray that our girls be returned home safely. We must make sure that our society doesn’t degenerate into one that allows for children to be taken away from the safety of familiar surroundings.

There is no moving on from this. our girls must be brought home.