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Three weeks after their horrifying abduction in Nigeria,
276 of the more than 300 girls who were taken from a
school by armed militants are still missing, possibly sold
into slavery or married off. Nigerian security forces
apparently do not know where the girls are and the
country’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has been
shockingly slow and inept at addressing this monstrous
crime.
On Tuesday, the United Nations Children’s Fund said
Boko Haram, the ruthless Islamist group that claimed
responsibility for the kidnappings, abducted more young
girls from their homes in the same part of the country in
the northeast over the weekend. The group, whose name
roughly means “Western education is a sin,” has waged
war against Nigeria for five years. Its goal is to
destabilize and ultimately overthrow the government.
The group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in a video
released on Monday, “I abducted your girls. I will sell
them in the market, by Allah.”
This is not the first time Boko Haram has attacked students,
killing young men and kidnapping young women. The
security situation in Northeast Nigeria has steadily
deteriorated. In the first three months of this year, attacks by
Boko Haram and reprisals by government security forces have
killed at least 1,500 people, more than half of them civilians,
according to Amnesty International. Until now, there has been
little response to the violence, either in Nigeria or
internationally. But the kidnapping of so many young girls,
ages 12 to 15, has triggered outrage and ignited a rare anti
government protest movement in Nigeria.
On Sunday, after weeks of silence, Mr. Jonathan admitted that
“this is a trying time for our country,” and he said that
Nigerians were justified in their anger against the government
and appealed for international help. The reaction of Mr.
Jonathan’s wife, Patience, was stunningly callous; according
to state news media, she told one of the protest leaders, “You
are playing games. Don’t use schoolchildren and women for
demonstrations again.”
Boko Haram’s claim that it follows Islamic teachings is
nonsense. A pre-eminent Islamic theological institute, Al-
Azhar in Egypt, denounced the abductions, saying it
“completely contradicts the teachings of Islam and its tolerant
principles.” Although Boko Haram is believed to number no
more than a few hundred men, Nigerian security forces have
been unable to defeat them.
Mr. Jonathan, who leads a corrupt government that has little
credibility, initially played down the group’s threat and
claimed security forces were in control. It wasn’t until Sunday,
more than two weeks after the kidnappings, that he called a
meeting of government officials, including the leader of the
girls’ school, to discuss the incident. There is no doubt the
intelligence and investigation help President Obama offered
on Monday is needed.
The kidnappings occurred just as President Jonathan is about
to hold the World Economic Forum on Africa, with 6,000
troops deployed for security. That show of force may keep the
delegates safe, but Nigeria’s deeply troubled government
cannot protect its people, attract investment and lead the
country to its full potential if it cannot contain a virulent
insurgency.
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