- 137 out of 287 were rescued, what happened to the others
Senior Advocate of Nigeria and ex-UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, Prof. Joy N. Ezeilo has called for more explanations into the rescue of 153 Nigerians by the military on Sunday.
Conveying her concerns through X (formerly Twitter) the Law Professor in a long post said:
“I am grateful to God and commend the military for rescuing 153 Nigerian children and women on Sunday. This is a huge relief for their parents, families, and all well-meaning Nigerians, including the international community. However, there remain many unclear details regarding this rescue operation. For instance, we have learned that only 137 (76 females and 61 males) of the rescued individuals were Kaduna pupils, despite earlier reports indicating that 287 pupils were abducted. This raises several questions that need to be answered. It also highlights the recurring problem of poor record-keeping, data management, transparency, and information sharing in Nigeria.
“How many children were kidnapped from Kaduna School? Was it that all the abducted children were rescued? How did they move them from Kaduna to Zamfara state? What about the kidnappers or abductees? Was there no single arrest or casualty? There may be more to this than meets the eye. Was this a case of negotiation and ransom payment? No one knows, as a lot is still shrouded in secrecy.
“I’m relieved but still a mixed grill as we hear (unconfirmed) that some of the children may also have died in captivity and that some are now orphans. How do we ensure accountability and prosecution of suspects? How do we prevent future abduction in what appears to be now a lucrative business that is destroying lives and adding to the country’s overwhelming insecurity? How do we ensure safe schools and safe cities? We hope that no child is left behind like the Dapchi and Chibok schoolgirls kidnappings, amongst others. We also plead and demand the rescue of women in IDP camps in Borno state.
“Kudos again to the military. We don’t know how you did it. Still, please do it again concerning Borno women IDPs and all others in captivity, especially the most vulnerable women and children.
“Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (OON, SAN)”
