Boko Haram kidnapping victims return to Chibok 10 weeks after release News
Boko Haram kidnapping victims return to Chibok 10 weeks after release

21 young women from Chibok, Nigeria returned [CNN report] home on Sunday after being released from Boko Haram control in October. In 2014 the Bring Back Our Girls activists [advocacy website] began daily sit-ins [JURIST report] at the Unity Fountain in the capital city Abuja to press their demands for the release of the 219 school girls that were abducted by insurgents in Chibok. Reports [BBC report] indicate that the young women have been held at a local politician’s house and have been unable to return home to their families. Further, 276 people were originally kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and 197 are still missing.

Boko Haram means “Western education is a sin,” and the militant Islamic organization is known for its kidnappings and killings. Boko Haram attacks [JURIST report] have occurred in crowded public places and have increased since it lost much of the territory it overtook from 2014 through early 2016. In April, the UN urged [JURIST report] the Nigerian government to escalate efforts to locate and rescue people abducted by Boko Haram. In February UN human rights advocates asked [JURIST report] the Nigerian government to guarantee the safety of areas liberated from Boko Haram through military maneuvers.