The Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF) has opened a new exhibition titled ‘The Stolen Daughters of Chibok’ to mark the 12th anniversary of the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State.
On April 14, 2014, Nigeria witnessed one of the largest and most infamous kidnapping in her history by the heavily armed members of the terrorist group Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-jihad, commonly known as Boko Haram, who forcibly abducted 276 Nigerian girls and young women from the school in Chibok.
Over the years, 187 girls have returned home with 89 still declared missing.
The exhibition, titled ‘More Than A Decade On: Chibok Photo Exhibition and Commemoration’ was earlier launched at SOAS, University of London, is now in Lagos at the Murtala Muhammed Foundation office in Ikoyi. It will be open every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Thursday, April 30.
Beyond being a photo-exhibition, it also aims to serve as poignant visual retrospective, chronicling one of Nigeria’s most profound tragedies.
Speaking at the unveiling of the exhibition, a research analyst who works with the Foundation, Nenkangmun Deshi, noted that the essence of the exhibition was to combat what she described as public amnesia surrounding the tragedy.
“In the early years, there was global attention. But over time, people have forgotten. So this exhibition is to remind society that these girls still matter and their lives, dreams and aspirations are still valid,” she said.
Deshi, who lamented over Nigeria's worsening security situation, said that abductions targeting school children have further spread beyond Northeast to other regions.
She further revealed that since two of the chibok girls were released in 2014, no new rescues have been made, urging the security agencies to intensify efforts in rescuing the remaining girls in captivity.
Co-founder of the BringBackOurGirls Movement (Lagos Chapter), Mrs. Habibat Balogun, stated that the prolonged wait for answers has deepened the pain of families and exposed ongoing security failures.
In her words: “This is a very sad and tragic anniversary. We never imagined it would last more than 12 months. Here we are, 12 years later.”
She urged the federal government to provide more closures for both survivors and their families, noting that, “the road to recovery is long and deeply personal.”
She also lamented that despite advocacies for the release of the remaining girls, the situation has remained the same, stressing that, “Twelve years is a long time to wait for justice. It's a long time to carry grief without answers. It's a long time to advocate without the resolution that every family, every survivor and every Nigerian needs.”
With determination that the advocacy would yield positive result, Balogun expressed hope that the remaining girls, wherever they are, would one day reunite with their loved ones and regain the freedom to make their own choices about their futures.
On her part, MMF Head of Operations, Oluwatosin Alagbe, described the anniversary as a painful reminder of a tragedy that continues to shape the lives of affected families more than a decade later, stating that the passage of time has not eased the pain of families still searching for their daughters.
She stated that the exhibition, features works of Dr. Akintunde Akinleye, who she further described as first Nigerian photographer to receive the World Press Photo Prize, and a man who has spent time in patient, dignified relationship with the Chibok community.She said: What you will see on these walls tonight are not images of victims. They are pictures of people. Of mothers, fathers, sisters, and survivors, carrying a weight that none of us should carry alone.”
One of the survivors, Juliana Yakubu, who also spoke at the unveiling of the exhibition, recounted her ordeal in captivity, narrating that the experience still remains deeply painful.
Yakubu, who was 17 at the time of the abduction, said she spent three years in captivity before her release alongside the 82 girls rescued in 2017.
According to her, “The release followed negotiations because one night, they told us we would go somewhere. But on getting there, we realised that it was part of an exchange as their members were also released.”
One of the parents whose girl was among those kidnapped and later released in 2017, Yahi Bwata, said that 48 parents of the abducted girls have died without knowing the fate of their daughters.
He called on the federal government to urgently take decisive action over the matter in order to save the families that have been in pain over a decade.
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