#BringBackOurGirls Group Marches on Presidential Villa Today

The #BringBackOurGirls Group (#BBOG) will on Thursday (today) march on Nigeria’s presidential villa in continuation of their campaign of pressuring the Nigerian government to step up effort to rescue the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from their dormitory in Chibok, Borno State.

According to a notice sent to sources via a SMS,  organizers said that the rally would commence at 8:30 am from the Unity Fountain Abuja, venue of the group’s daily sit-outs.

Security operatives had on Monday prevented the campaigners from advancing on to the presidential villa, where they had planned to engage President Muhammadu Buhari on talks regarding the abducted girls and other issues of national importance.

The group had demanded, among other things, that Mr. Buhari address the nation on the state of the Chibok girls against the backdrop of what it described as unsatisfactory response of government to a video released on August 14 by the extremist Boko Haram sect.

Boko Haram abducted the girls on April 14, 2014, sparking a global outrage and campaign for their rescue.

As a way of fast-tracking the rescue of the girls, the #BBOG is asking the government to choose between three options: military action, negotiation with the abductors and a combination of the first and second option.

It also wants the government to hasten the trial of persons accused of diverting funds meant for buying arms for the military and address allegations of corruption in Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country.