Ministers Shun #BringBackOurGirls Protest

 

On Monday the #BringBackOurGirls campaign group in Abuja had a protest over the recent massacre of schoolchildren by the Boko Haram sect in the North-East calling for protection of school children in the area. Instead of giving them audience, it was reported that the Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, shunned the protest. 

 

The group claimed that the minister of state for education was in her office but refused to come out and address them. After the two ministers refused to come out to address them the protesters, pasted their various placards at the gate of the ministry.

 

The Bring Back Our Girls Protest members, who were in tears over the plight of school children, said schools were a place of knowledge and not a killing field, and therefore called on the Federal government to move fast to protect the schools against further Boko Haram attacks.

 

In a statement read by a member, Mr. Olatunji Olanrewaju, the group said “Our children are all dying and it can be anybody’s child. The children need to know that they belong to a country; we send our children to learn but what we get back are bodies of our children; this is unfair. 

 

“Why were the children left alone without any security? It is imperative for the nation to protect our children; nobody deserved to die the way the 47 children in Potiskum were killed by Boko Haram suicide bomber.”