The FGC Birnin Yauri tragedy

Forum 1 year ago

The FGC Birnin Yauri tragedy

The children in this story who have been turned into forced wives and sex slaves are among 11 remaining female students yet to be freed after gunmen abducted over 100 students and eight teachers and killed a police man at the Federal Government College (FGC), Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State on June 17, 2021.

Olusegun Adeniyi

There are some distressing Hausa language audio clips circulating on WhatsApp, essentially within circles in Abuja and the North. Parents of 11 girls between the age of 12 and 16 who have been held captive by the notorious bandit, Dogo Gide for almost two years, are crying out for help. The children were abducted from Federal Government College (FGC) Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State. The parents claimed they have been able to contact the mother of the bandit and have held several calls with their daughters. They have decided to sell their houses, farms, and everything they own to pay the ransom of N100 million. They also give account details of two parents for those willing to contribute to their effort.

This tragedy started on 17th June 2021 when terrorists stormed the school, abducted over 112 students and eight teachers, and took them away in a pick-up truck and on motorbikes. Four days later, a video and photos of the abducted students went viral on social media. Dogo Gide could be heard claiming responsibility for the abduction.

Some parents were able to pay the ransom of their girls and a few escaped on their own. On 8th January last year, 30 more students and one teacher were released to intermediaries who negotiated between the terrorists and the Kebbi State Government. The State has practically been left to resolve this crisis, yet the school from where the girls were abducted is a federal government college. Furthermore, internal security is a federal responsibility.

On 17th June 2022, the Yauri Emirate Development Association (YEDA) issued a statement about the remaining 11 schoolgirls, who were apparently being molested by the bandits. A month later, one of them was reported to have given birth in captivity. In October, another, aged 14, was also reported to have given birth. In November, two more (one 15, the second 16) were reported to have given birth. One can only imagine the trauma that the parents of these 11 girls are going through.

For too many of us, the 11 FGC Yauri female students who remain in captivity are numbers, mere statistics from a distant land. But for these girls and their families, life stopped, and anguish began a year and almost eight months ago. Let us all resolve to keep reminding our security forces of the need to rescue them. Let us spare a thought and prayer for many of our citizens who are in the captivity of criminal gangs that seem to have overpowered the State, including those whose plights go unreported. Let us never forget that they too are Nigerian citizens, deserving of their safety and support.

While kidnapping for ransom has become a career for criminals who go by the fanciful name of ‘bandit’, laying siege to schools is a dangerous dimension to the security challenge we face. Besides, it is bad enough that these outlaws find it easy to carry away innocent students after which they demand outrageous amounts of money from their parents, it is worse that they now blatantly molest innocent female children. From Chibok to Yauri, it is the same pattern of abuse, and we must find a solution to the menace. If parents can no longer send their children to school for fear of bandits, it is the future of Nigeria that is being threatened. According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), when children are denied opportunity for education not only are their lives shattered, but the future of the nation is also stolen.