I have been following the #Bringbackourgirls campaign initiated in order to draw attention to the constant stream of kidnapping of Nigerian girls by Boko Haram. In the latest development, Boko Haram stated that they will release a certain amount of girls in exchange for imprisoned militants. According to The Daily Beast:
“A new video obtained by the AFP news agency appears to show the leader of Boko Haram along with approximately 130 of the abducted Nigerian schoolgirls. In the video, Abubakar Shekau claims that he will exchange the kidnapped girls for the release of militant prisoners. He also says in the video that the girls have been converted to Islam. The girls featured in the video are wearing full-length hijabs and shown praying from the Quran. More than 270 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok on April 14. It is thought 223 are still missing. The U.S., China, France, Britain, and Israel have all joined the efforts to help locate them”
This group has resorted to kidnapping of young girls in order to use them as bargain chips in their war against infidels. Even within these so-called modern time, girls and women, essentially females, are used as pawns to ostracize, demoralize, and destroy tribes, communities, nations. Our bodies, our minds, our very natures are always placed on the table to be used and abused by those corrupted with power. When will it be safe for us to exist?