The 21 Chibok schoolgirls that were freed from Boko Haram captivity have made a touching demand from the government.
The girls were kidnapped along with more than 200 others from their hostels in April 2014. Their kidnap led to a global outrage. The international community offered help to Nigeria to secure the release of the girls but it was all to no avail.
Though a few of the girls were able to escape soon after they were kidnapped, most of them were not that fortunate. Following intensified pressure on the government by Nigerians, especially the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group, the government reopened negotiation with the insurgency group and they were able to reach an agreement.
The Minister for Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed announced earlier in October, when the girls were released that no swapping had been made as the girls were only released without any member of the sect as exchange.
After been received by the vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on the day they were released, the girls have also seen the President, Muhammadu Buhari and their parents.
However, at the weekend, the girls who are currently under the protective care of the Department Of State Services (DSS), said they wanted two things. They gave the message to the first lady of Borno State, Hajiya Nana Shettima when she visitedthem.
The girls thanked God and the federal government for their freedom before making her request.
Rebecca Mallam who represented the freed girls begged that:
1. Colleagues’s freedom. The federal government should expedite action on the release of the remaining girls.
Mallam said the 21 miss their friends are unhappy that some of them are still being held by Boko Haram.
2. The girls want to be baptised. Mallam explained that some of the freed girl were not baptised as christians before they were abducted, so now that they have their freedom back and they are now of age, they want the wife of the governor to help make it happen fast.
Many of the girls are members of the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), known in other parts of the world as Church of the Brethren in Nigeria. The age at which the girls can be baptised in EYN is 16. Unfortunately, they were not of age before the kidnapping incident occurred.
