The parents of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls have criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) for exploiting the kidnapping of their daughters as a political tool to gain power without making sufficient efforts to secure their release from Boko Haram’s captivity.
Speaking to the media in Maiduguri on Monday, Ayuba Alamson, the spokesperson for the parents of the abducted schoolgirls, expressed their disappointment that the APC had benefited from their ordeal but had not done enough to alleviate their suffering.
He pointed out that the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the schoolgirls on April 14, 2014, from their school in Chibok Secondary School were a significant factor that influenced many Nigerians to seek a change and choose the APC over the Peoples Democratic Party.
However, he attributed the delayed rescue of the girls to the lack of seriousness on the part of the then administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, which initially doubted the kidnapping story until two weeks after the girls were abducted.
Mr. Alamson also criticized the APC leadership in Borno State, stating that they failed to respond promptly to the security alerts in the area prior to the abduction.
Alamson said, “APC has used the abduction of our girls to earn power in an easy way in 2015 but is yet to justify the promises they made while seeking power then. I also supported the efforts of those parents in voting for the APC, but till today, the efforts are in vain.
“Our girls were in the hands of the APC government at the state level, while the PDP was ruling at the federal level.
“Apart from the 112 of the girls still missing, the Chibok Community and environs have been under constant Boko Haram attacks even till today. It is important to note that when some schoolchildren were kidnapped in Lagos, we all saw how the state government swung into action to rescue them. But in the case of Chibok, it was a different ball game.”
He said, “We have followed a lot of channels to see that the 112 girls are released. Federal government has tried but the pass mark is below average.”
