Chibok anniversary: “Help me in prayer so that I can see my daughters”

This week is the 12-year anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping, an incident that made headlines worldwide. Whilst many of the 275 girls have since escaped or been released, around 100 remain missing, including Ruth’s daughters. Here, she shares about that fateful day, the immense toll it’s taken on their family, and how you can pray.

It’s 12 years since around 275 girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, northern Nigeria, and for one mother whose two children remain missing, the worst thing is the uncertainty.    

“What pains me the most is I don’t know if they are still alive or if they have been killed,” says Ruth*. “Others have seen their own children. Had they died, I would have probably moved on by now. I pray to God to show me: let me see them with my own eyes if they are alive, or let me hear that they have died. 

“Her name is Godiya Bitrus and the second girl is Hauwa Bitrus,” she shares. Godiya is her daughter, Hauwa her stepdaughter. 

Peace gives way to pain

The girls were taken on 14 April 2014 by Boko Haram militants who arrived at the Government Girls Secondary School (GGCSS) pretending to be government soldiers sent to protect them. Instead, they kidnapped the girls.  

Ruth can recall the day vividly. “We were living in peace. They came to attack after my son’s wedding. The wedding was on 13 April, and my son left the village on the 14 April, in the morning.” 

These small details may seem irrelevant to many, but they’re the thread with which Ruth tries to keep the difficult memories of that day stitched together – concrete memories to hold on to as she and her family live in limbo. But as each year passes, with no news about her daughters, hope invariably gives way to disappointment.  

“We started hearing sounds of gunshots before 11pm,” remembers Ruth, who lives in a village near Chibok. “The gunshots persisted and we wondered where they were coming from. We heard the gunshots in our village and wondered if they were from Chibok, or the market or the school. We couldn’t say from where. 

“When the day broke, I started walking. I walked close to Chibok, when I saw a student from the school – she was running when I called and asked her what happened. She said, ‘I am the only student left in Chibok.’” It later transpired that 47 girls avoided kidnap or managed to escape shortly afterwards.  

“At that moment, I started crying and ran into the bush until I found myself in the Government Girls School. I went there and discovered that fire had razed the entire building. That was when I burst into tears again. 

“They burnt down the entire hostel. I couldn’t even see their uniforms to carry. The building was filled with smoke. I left and, on my way out, I couldn’t walk again. I had to sit down and rest a bit. I sat down and cried. 

“One week later, I couldn’t do anything. I was only crying and crying. I couldn’t sleep nor rest. My mouth became tired from crying and my tears dried up. We struggled, but could not get them back.” 

A devastating toll 

Over the years, Boko Haram has directed their ransom demands for the release of the Chibok girls at the Nigerian federal government. Some have been released, though the details behind their freedom remain unclear. Around 90 are believed to be still missing and most parents, like Ruth, remain in the dark concerning their children’s whereabouts. 

“After some months, they asked if we could go to Lagos (the capital). Then they took us to Lagos and we spent ten days there. After ten days, they said the girls were here and that they would come out. But to this day, we have not seen them. 

“I am just thinking if I will see them again or not – that’s all I am thinking of right now,” she says.  

The stress and the waiting have taken a devastating toll on Ruth and her family. “Their father is so sick, and he can’t stretch his body now. I am worried that two of my girls are taken, and until now, I haven’t seen them with my eyes which is troubling me.” 

“My prayer request to you” 

On the anniversary of the girls’ kidnap, can you renew your prayers for Ruth and other families desperate for news of their loved ones? 

“My brothers and sisters in Christ, help me in prayer so that I can see my own daughters, just as others have seen theirs,” Ruth asks. “We are requesting your prayers so that we will be able to see our children with our eyes, hear their voices with our ears, and to know that they are still alive. If they are not alive, let them tell us so that we may know, and pray to God for help in this situation. This is my prayer request to you.” 

Open Doors continues to advocate on behalf of the Chibok girls, as well as Leah Sharibu, who also remains missing after she was kidnapped in February 2018. We are asking the international community to urge the Nigerian President to continue his efforts to liberate the hostages held by Boko Haram, including young Christian girls, and to create a government position who will work solely as a family liaison for parents of the hostages.

*Name changed for security reasons