Chibok girls’ parents deny playing politics

Parents of the schoolgirls abducted by militant
Islamists at the Government Secondary School,
Chibok, Borno State, have denied playing politics by
refusing to meet President Goodluck Jonathan.
Tuesday’s meeting failed to take place because
proper protocol had not been followed, their
spokesman said.
Jonathan said the parents had called off the meeting
after being manipulated by the #BringBackOurGirls
campaign group.
Boko Haram captured more than 200 girls in the
town of Chibok on April 14.
Jonathan was widely criticised for failing to meet
distraught parents and not doing enough to rescue
the girls.
On Monday, he agreed to meet 12 parents and five
girls who escaped shortly after being seized by Boko
Haram, following a request by Pakistani rights
campaigner Malala Yousafzai.
Chibok community spokesman Dauda Iliya said the
proposed meeting had been organised in a hurry, so
there was not enough time to consult with all the
parents.
Chibok residents were “very traumatised” and
people had lost trust in each other, he said.
If a small number of parents suddenly announced
they had met the president, they would have a “hard
time” from the others, and there might be a
“suspicion that money had changed hands”, Iliya
said.
The decision had “nothing” to do with the
#BringBackOurGirls campaign group, he told BBC
Focus on Africa.
“We are in pain. We can’t bear any animosity to the
government,” Iliya said.