It has been six months since Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in the northeastern village of Chibok, in Nigeria. More than 200 still remain in captivity. The sensational kidnapping was flashed in news outlets all over the world, but the plight of these innocent victims has now got lost in all other key events that have occurred globally since then. The school girls’ captivity is largely symptomatic of the failure of the Nigerian government and the world’s nonchalant attitude, to effectively regroup, combat and eradicate the threat of Boko Haram. Thanks to this lethargy, these extremists are meticulously carving out their own religious state in the north of Nigeria.
The government’s schemes have been thwarted by these militants and thousands have lost their lives. The military has displayed a lack of will in the fight against Boko Haram. It keeps insisting that it knows where the schoolgirls are, but has done nothing to rescue them. Key Boko Haram leaders must be captured and their sources of funding weakened. The government must win back the people’s confidence. Rescuing the schoolgirls will be an important first step.
