Journalism is the first draft of history. But in our media environment: we are born original and die as photocopies. Minds are like parachutes, they work best when they are open. The objectiveness and the subjectiveness of news can only be determined by an open mind. The closed mind lacks intellectual rigour. The kidnap of the Chibok girls: was received by the Goodluck administration with some sense of subjectivity. The news was wrongly processed and analyzed by the Chief of State and his bureaucracy.

So, the Chibok girls were left forlorn and doleful in the hands of their abductors. Mrs. Patience Jonathan “Mama Peace”, as the first lady; became self important in the issue. She assume jurisdiction in the matter, and interrogated suspects in the case. Her investigative conclusion was that “there is God Oh!”. Napoleon Bonarpate said “in politics stupidity is not a handicap”. The truth is that, people will be creative as the structure allows them to be. Fredrich Nietzche also said “A politician is a man who divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies”. The presidential bureaucracy of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan received the Chibok girls kidnap as mere political news.

But, in truth, the kidnap was rather emblematic of the security melt down in Nigeria at that time – 2014. There was security failure also, when government refused to go in hot pursuit of the kidnappers: Until all clues and leads got cold. There was no government search and rescue effort. Hunters and the parents of the girls stormed Sambisa forest in search of the girls. The Chibok girls may feel betrayed. But, they can take solace in the words of Vernon Law: who said “experience is the worst teacher. It gives the test before presenting the lesson”. About 50 of the girls rescued themselves. The Nigeria Army told a lie that, they have rescued the remaining 219 girls. The parents of the girls refuted the claim of the Nigeria Army. And, Sambisa forest became an immune territory.

The kidnap of the Chibok girls had exposed the poor management of crime in Nigeria. The release of the 21 Chibok girls had triggered our national memory. We should be prayerful and hopeful for the release of the remaining 197 Chibok school girls. As we celebrate the release of the 21 girls, we must be mindful not to encroach on the mental space of the parents and guardians of the girls still in Boko Haram captivity. The military operation should be kept on hold; as negotiation for the release of the 197 Chibok girls continues. This is not a mere ideational construct or the thinking of text book mind. Government should leverage on the goodwill, shown by Boko Haram to negotiate on the issue.

Yes! The real heroes of the Chibok kidnap saga are: the victims themselves, the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners, the parents of the girls, the hunters who formed the search and rescue teams. The rest of us are uncourageous persons of the Chibok episode. There had been a nagging feeling of emotional and psychological trauma. Those who kept hopes alive had been vindicated. But, those who were in denial of it should have the judgment of history. The kidnap was not a Law enforcement dilemma. The issue was rather begging for urgency and immediacy. Principle of traditional law enforcement demands the detection and apprehension of the abductors. This is not the time for anybody in security cycle, to play the hero on the issue.

Unfortunately, the scene of crime for the Chibok kidnap was never visited by crime investigators and crime scene technicians. The crime scene was rather declared a militarized zone. So, there will be no detailed field investigation note on the Chibok kidnap. I am afraid; there would be no investigative report on the issue. Incident reports are crucial source of investigative information. The narrative style of crime report will detail a reconstruction of the kidnap episode. But, if the crime scene was not visited in good time, the report will rather be speculative. The Nigeria security space suffers from poor investigative resources. The practice of investigative psychology is not encouraging in Nigeria. Boko Haram has its signature behaviour that had not been given studied analysis by criminal investigators.


Unarguably, law enforcement is technophobic in Nigeria. Belatedly, there was no aerial surveillance and mobile communication and satellite terminal for the search and rescue efforts of government. Helicopter patrol with thermal imaging technology would have shown the location of the Chibok girls in Sambisa forest. There must be heat source when 219 girls are assembled in a place. Thermal imagers, works by detecting and measuring the differences in the radiated temperature of any object or surface. The first thermograms or heat pictures were made as early as 1840 by Sir William Herschel and his son John. There is no police helicopter with thermal imaging technology in Nigeria.

The Psychological rehabilitation of the Chibok girls; should be taken seriously to avoid any throwback. These girls are suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. They have been burdened during their captivity by depression, sleep disorder, panic attacks and other stress related illnesses. Their parents and guardians should be treated as indirect or secondary victims. Appropriate therapeutic methods should be used so that they don’t become deeply alienated and withdrawn from social relationship.

Symptoms of Stockholm syndrome can not be ruled out in them. They may have shown positive feelings for, and attachments to their captors and outrage directed at the authorities that rescued them; for acting with apparent indifference to their wellbeing during the period of captivity. This pathology transference can be possible, if the girls become sympathetic to the acts of defiance of Boko Haram aimed at the power structure of Nigeria. The girl can also suffer from a primitive emotional response called “traumatic infantilism”.

As survivors, they may have harbored intense feeling of gratitude towards their abductors. Their lives had been ordered around by Boko Haram operatives for more than two years and six months. Some of them may have been radicalized and if not properly managed; they can be informants for Boko Haram operatives. The psychotherapists and psychiatrist detailed to handle the case of the Chibok girls, must be clinical and professional in discharging their duties. The girls need social re-integration.