Opinion: Nigerian abductions a disgrace
The militant Islamist Boko Haram has struck once, kidnapping and killing civilians. A disgrace - and not just for Nigeria - thinks Daniel Pelz

Suspected Boko Haram militants abducted 185 women and children in an attack on a village in north-eastern Nigeria. It took place not far from Chibok, where the group seized more than 240 girls at a school in April. Eight months later, only a handful of the girls have managed to escape. Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has declined to comment, remaining as tight-lipped as ever. Jonathan has not visited Chibok, nor has he responded to the most recent attacks.

It is unbelievable. Jonathan and his government do not even have a few words of consolation for the families of the 185 abducted women and children, let alone any plan of action. Boko Haram,on the other hand, is free to attack and terrorize the people of northern Nigeria. Abductions by suspected Boko Haram fighters are currently occurring on a weekly basis. In October alone, 70 people were kidnapped. More than 13,000 people have lost their lives since the start of the insurgency in 2009.

Hardly anything is being done to stop the group. Nigeria's poorly paid and ill-equipped soldiers are no match for Boko Haram. Morale in the Nigerian army is at a low ebb. A court martial has just sentenced 54 soldiers to death for mutiny. They allegedly refused to participate in an operation against the militants.

The fate of the people of northern Nigeria seems to be of little interest to the elite in the capital Abuja, whose chief concern is maintaining their grip on power. Nigeria is due hold a general election in February 2015. President Jonathan hopes to be re-elected and the opposition of course wishes to unseat him. So nobody really has the time to deal with Boko Haram. And while the politicians forge alliances, scheme against their opponents and mobilize their voters, the insurgency in northern Nigeria drags on. There are evidently too few votes to be won in the poor, sparsely populated region.

The international response to the crisis is hardly any better. When the Chibok girls were abducted, prominent personalities like Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie joined campaigners in their online plea to bring back the girls. Yet that was all that happened. While many governments promised to support Nigeria in their fight against Boko Haram, little of that help actually materialized. The international community failed to call on Nigeria's government to take more responsibility for the lives of its citizens. Economic interests once again outweigh the fate of the residents of a remote region, which most people cannot even find on a map.

I feel sorry for with the people of northern Nigeria. They have to deal with the daily threat of terror, abductions, attacks and killings. But unlike their government, they have not remained inactive. Hundreds have joined vigilante groups to protect their towns and villages. They have realized that they have to help themselves as nobody else will help them.

AJINATU:
FATHER LORD I THANK YOU AND I WORSHIP YOUR HOLY NAME BECAUSE NIGERIA WILL DIV1DE NEXT YEAR
FATHER LORD I BLESS YOUR HOLY NAME BECAUSE B1AFRA REPUBLIC WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED NEXT YEAR
GOD BLESS IGBOLAND
GOD BLESS B1AFRA
GOD BLESS THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN
WE IGBOS ARE GOING BACK TO B1AFRA

musiwa is that you

dablazor:
more of this from the international community please!...
i never wanted Buhari to rule our great nation... but right now, he would be a better alternative. beggars are not choosers

dablazor:
more of this from the international community please!...
i never wanted Buhari to rule our great nation... but right now, he would be a better alternative. beggars are not choosers

SuperModerator:
in firefire, whitetechnology's.... voice, APC wrote this

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has declined to comment, remaining as tight- lipped as ever. Jonathan has not visited Chibok, nor has he responded to the most recent attacks. It is unbelievable. Jonathan and his government do not
even have a few words of consolation for the families of the 185 abducted women and children, let alone any plan of action. Boko Haram,on the other hand, is free to attack and terrorize the people of northern Nigeria.