Chibok parents mourn Buhari, demand release of 87 missing girls

Parents of 276 Chibok schoolgirls abducted in 2014 by Boko Haram, on Tuesday, mourned the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on the 13th of July, 2025.

The parents, while mourning the death of the former president, urged president Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government to intensify efforts to rescue remaining missing 87 girls.

It would be recalled that 276 girls were abducted in April 2014 from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

Their mass abduction by Boko Haram triggered international outrage and the viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which drew global attention to the insecurity in Nigeria’s northeast.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Yana Galang and Zannah Mohammed, the parents acknowledged Buhari’s role in securing the release of 103 girls during his administration, the highest number recovered under any Nigerian government.

“When President Buhari took office in 2015, we held onto cautious hope as some of our girls were returned during his tenure, and for those reunions and efforts, we are quietly grateful.

“But for many of us, our hopes were ultimately dashed, as 87 of our daughters are still missing,” the statement read.

The Association of the Parents of the Missing Chibok Girls, in the statement, said the figure of the remaining girls was verified by the Murtala Muhammed Foundation.

They called on authorities to “move beyond rhetoric” and take concrete steps to bring the remaining girls home.

The parents added, :As we mourn our former leader, we reflect on a painful chapter in our national history.

“The journey is not over. Our call remains: Bring Back Our Girls—every single one.”

Source: PUNCH