By Laide Akinboade-Oriere

It was exactly 500 days last Thursday since the 276  girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, were abducted from their hostels.

Some of the abducted Chibok girls

Boko Haram fighters had stormed the school in the remote town of Chibok in Borno State in the early hours of  April 14, 2014,  seizing the 276 girls who were preparing for their senior secondary school exams.

Some 57 girls were able to escape but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video.

The days turned into nights and nights turned into months, yet the girls have not been reunited with their parents.

There have been calls for more action from the federal and state governments, religious leaders, political leaders and citizens in ensuring that the girls are released..

In an interview with Sunday Vanguard, Rev. Enoch Mark, whose two daughters were among the abducted girls, said the girls that were able to escape told him that one of his daughters was killed because she refused to talk and the other one is still missing.

He blamed the former administration led by Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for not doing enough to rescue the remaining girls.

He said his wife had developed high blood pressure, while parents of 17   of the missing girls had died  over the issue.

Shehu Garba,  presidential spokesperson, said there has been “intensified intelligence gathering and reconnaissance in a given location in the Northeast in search of the girls”.

Garba added: “In the past, government had contended with intelligence that was very peripheral. I think we’re getting something deeper and clearer and more specific.”

On Thursday, August 27, 2015, BringBackOurGirls, BBOG, campaign group, at the 500th  day commemoration of the abduction, made it clear that bringing back the girls and reuniting them with their parents is a must.

Two prominent religious leaders in the country, the Chief Imam of Apo Mosque, Shiekh Nura Khalid, and John Cardinal Onaiyekan,  insisted that Nigerians, especially political and religious leaders, were not doing enough to rescue the girls.

“I’m terribly disappointed that people are not doing as much as I expect. The church has always expressed its sympathy about the abduction, though it might not be much; we have always prayed for the release of the girls and the crisis in the Northeast to end. What I think is possible is that the main community of ISLAM in Nigeria is challenged now, what they (Boko Haram) do and preach is contrary to Islam. We must do as much as we can to tell others that they are wrong”, Onaiyekan said.

“I have asked the question why Imams and Sheikhs are not talking as much as they should and I am made to understand in the practical terms that it is not that easy, because many Imams have been slaughtered. We cannot remain like this, that means some people must be ready to put their lives on the line and keep talking”.

The Cardinal who expressed his disappointment at the low turnout of people for the  event, lamented: “I thought that this place will be congested but I was terribly disappointed, this whole thing doesn’t seem to hit the hearts of Nigerians; we are lucky that the media carries it  tonight  and amplifies  it so the country hears that something happened here today.

“This morning when I woke up, I did not have the plans of coming. I was about going to take my bath when I had a phone call came from Rome, from Radio Vatican on the 500 days remembrance of the Chibok girls and I was ashamed to say that I had not seen too much around and I told them there was going to be a march today and by the grace of God, I was going to be there, so having made the promise to the Radio Vatican and to the world it will be a mortal sin not to keep my promise.

“I was telling them on the Radio Vatican that I hoped that the 500 days will be a symbolic catalyst  to move Nigerians into recognising we have a serious problem; my heart bleeds for the young ladies, the fact that they called me from Rome means that they have not forgotten, it is we that have forgotten”.

The Sheikh spoke in the same vein, saying, “As a nation, we  are not doing enough, we are doing little or nothing in as much as the Chibok girls are far away from th eir families. We must start doing something.

“Secondly, I can’t say our religious leaders are doing enough. We must stand together as a nation. I want to tell the world that we Nigerian Muslims  are always ready to unite with our Christian brothers and sisters to fight for the soul of Nigeria. I want to challenge all the Imams that we should use our purpose to fight for the freedom of the Chibok girls, we must tell the world that Boko Haram will never succeed and they are not winning and Nigeria will win this battle. We are peace lovers, we are peace workers and we shall die as peace workers.

“The Cardinal is the symbol of peace and we are working together to bring peace to Nigeria and we will never stop until we die.    The Chibok girls are a symbol of peace in Nigeria because their freedom is what symbolises that we are living in peace in Nigeria.   “But in as much as they are there, then Nigeria is at war, even if no one is killed, without bomb, without shooting guns if Chibok girls are not back to their families, then Nigeria is at war.

“Therefore we must continue this cause, it is a good cause. I want to make a promise. I am on my way to a journey in Saudi Arabia and when I come back, I am going to start a voice that you will want to hear; we are going to start telling the world that Boko is; wajib, the word wajib is the opposite of haram, haram is forbidden, wajib is obligation, so, to us, boko is wajib, boko is no more haram, boko will never be haram”.