A cleric, Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili, has accused Nigerian leaders of not showing concern about the plight of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls because none of their children was among the victims of Boko Haram violence.
He, therefore, prayed to God to take the peace of the leaders until they rescue the over 200 Chibok girls in Boko Haram captivity.
Ezekwesili, the husband of the Co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls coalition, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, said this during a special prayer service for the Chibok girls on Sunday in Abuja.
The cleric recalled the killing of 40 students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State in 2014 by Boko Haram insurgents, which he said was not addressed by the Federal Government.
He noted that the lukewarm response of the government to the incident emboldened the terrorists to abduct the Chibok girls.
Instead of rising to the occasion by going after the terrorists, Ezekwesili said the government of the day organised a party to celebrate the centenary of the nation.
He said, “Boko Haram took the girls because the government did nothing to address the killing of the students at Buni Yadi. We had a Commander-in-Chief and number one citizen in (Goodluck) Jonathan, but he did nothing.
“We have religious leaders, we have Bishops, we have Imams, we have General Overseers, but they kept quiet and did nothing. Today (Sunday) is 874 days since the abduction, is it not shocking that the money meant for use in fighting the terrorists was shared, blood money?
“Our rulers (because they are not leaders), will not have peace until they rescue the girls; God will take their peace until they rescue our daughters.”
The pastor encouraged the BBOG to continue with its campaign for the rescue of the girls “even if you are two or three; my wife is always here and am behind her.”