Three Nigerian Catholic leaders have welcomed the release of 21 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, and urged the Federal Government to prioritise the release of the remaining girls.
Boko Haram Islamists kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014; 57 escaped the same day and one two years later.
The release of 21 girls on October 13 was part of a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss and Nigerian governments.
Retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, said he had mixed feelings when he heard the news, because of the lengthy delay before their release and concerns about the girls’ welfare during their detainment.
“It is cheering news to the parents that they would be reunited with their abducted daughters,” he told Catholic News Service.
Cardinal Okogie blamed the Goodluck Jonathan administration for not sanctioning the governor of the state under whose watch the incident happened then.
He also said the nation’s school system was becoming “a laughing stock” following kidnappings that occurred recently in two different schools in Lagos state.
Bishop Matthew Ishaya Audu of Lafia told CNS that he was happy the girls were still alive.
“We pray that the remaining ones will be released very soon,” he said.
The bishop urged the government to arrange for counsellors and psychologists so the young women could be fully integrated into society.
Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaye of Ekiti said Nigerians should thank God for the girls’ release and echoed calls for the government to help rehabilitate them.
“Nigerians must come together to fight evil and savagery in our country,” he added.
Leaders of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign said they would continue to work until all the girls were released or rescued.
A special thanksgiving was organised by the Federal Government in Abuja on Sunday where the girls were reunited with their parents from the predominantly Christian town of Chibok.
