The mass abduction of over 200 Nigerian school girls and their
continuous detention has received
disapproval across the world with 'Africa's Sweetheart' Sika Osei
calling for a more intense condemnation of the incident until the
captives are freed.
Sika, host of Studio 53 Extra on DSTV 151, in
adding her voice to the global call for the
immediate release of the innocent school girls,
said prayers should not be left out.
"We must all continue to condemn it and pray
for their release. It is so pathetic that people
have no regard for human life and find it okay
to play with the lives of innocent little girls for
their own political gratification…Even the
circumstances around their abduction is
suspicious. Surely Boko Haram has links in
higher places even to be able to move over 200
girls across the border in a place where a state
of emergency has been declared," Sika told
NEWS-ONE.
On April 14, armed Boko Haram militants
fighting for an Islamist state in Nigeria invaded a
girls' secondary school in the north-eastern part
of the country and stole away some 276 girls
who were writing exams. Some managed to
escape leaving behind well over 200 girls.
Reuters on Monday said a leader of Boko
Haram, Abubakar Shekau, had offered to return
the abducted girls in exchange for prisoners,
according to a video seen on YouTube.
It said the 17-minute video showed the girls
wearing veils and praying at a yet to be
identified location. In a portion on the video,
Abubakar Shekau was seen holding an AK-47 and
laughing while he gave clear orders in a very confident tone.
"All I am saying is that if you want us to release
the girls that we have kidnapped, those who
have not accepted Islam will be treated as the
Prophet (Mohammed) treated infidels and they
will stay with us," he said, according to a
translation of his words originally spoken in
Hausa.
Sika, obviously heartbroken by the development
and continuous detention of the innocent girls
said the world should not continue to be passive
observers of the ongoing crime against humanity
but rather make a concerted effort at getting
the girls freed and alive.
