Ten years after the abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria, the painful memories of that tragedy still haunt the families of the missing girls. Among them is Lawan Zanna, who continues to pray for his daughter Aisha, one of the girls who have not been found since the 2014 kidnapping. The incident, which led to the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign, was the first major school abduction in Nigeria and was just the beginning of a series of similar incidents that have occurred in the years since. Despite the attention drawn to the Chibok girls, many other victims of kidnapping in Nigeria remain overlooked.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Chibok abductions, a collaborative film project called “Statues Also Breathe” was presented to raise awareness about the missing girls and the global struggle for girls’ education. The film features 108 sculptures representing the missing girls and attempts to recreate their appearances based on photographs provided by their families. These sculptures are displayed alongside ancient Nigerian Ife terracotta heads, creating a powerful and emotional representation of the missing girls. The film captures the anguish of the families as they remember their daughters and the horrors the girls faced while in captivity.
Despite the efforts to raise awareness about the missing Chibok girls, the Nigerian government has been criticized for not doing enough to secure the release of the remaining abductees and for failing to adequately care for those who have been freed. Activists like Chioma Agwuegbo, who was involved in the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, believe that the government, security forces, and citizens must all take responsibility for the ongoing crisis of school kidnappings in Nigeria. Security concerns remain prevalent in schools, with many lacking basic safety measures and adequate personnel to protect students.
The situation is further complicated by reports that some of the missing Chibok girls have been forcibly married to their captors, resulting in children born in captivity. While a few women have managed to escape in recent years, the fate of the remaining abducted girls remains uncertain. Some families have resigned themselves to the possibility that their daughters may never return home, as the years go by without any news or updates on efforts to find them. The emotional toll of the kidnappings is evident in the film, as mothers struggle to come to terms with the loss of their daughters and the painful memories associated with their absence.
As the Chibok abduction approaches its 10th anniversary, it serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by schoolchildren in Nigeria and the failures of the government and security forces to protect them. The lack of progress in locating the missing Chibok girls highlights the broader issues of insecurity, corruption, and impunity that plague the country. While efforts continue to raise awareness about the missing girls and hold authorities accountable, the families of the Chibok victims, like Lawan Zanna, continue to pray for the return of their loved ones, hoping for a resolution to the decade-long nightmare of their abduction.
