Buhari's daughter raises funds for girls, BBOG says "it's suspicious"

dimeji akinloye

October 18, 2016 9:11 AM

The Bring Back Our Girls group says it has taken legal action against the fund raising project launched by Hadiza Buhari.

President

The 21 girls, whose release was negotiated by the Federal Government last week, will be tested for Hepatitis B and C, malaria and sugar level.

The girls, over 200 of them, were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from their school - Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, more than two years ago.

After painstaking negotiations facilitated by a humanitarian group and a foreign government, the terrorist released 21 of them and promised to set 83 more free in the coming weeks, perhaps depending on how well negotiations go.

Since the release of the schoolgirls, humanitarian organisations have indicated interests in offering aid to ease their rehabilitation.

Other stakeholders involved in the exercise and planned rehabilitation of the girls are the Peace Corps of Nigeria, a paramilitary organisation, and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.

Hadiza, the President's daughter, who commended the efforts of the Federal Government and the military in securing the girls' release promised to restore the lost joy of the girls through her organisation, Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative.

ALSO READ: What's so special about the Chibok Girls?

She stated this in Abuja on Monday, October 17, during the official inauguration and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Chibok girls’ endowment fund project between the PCN and AFRISEI.

Hadiza said: "Considering the present economic situation that the country is passing through, it is necessary for the government to be assisted in ensuring that funds are raised to champion the cause of rehabilitating the released Chibok girls to a concluding success.

"It gives me a great honour to be present here today for the signing of the MoU of an endowment fund for the rehabilitation of the released Chibok girls between our organisations."

But the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) coalition, the group widely known for its dedication to the advocacy for the girls' return, disassociated itself from Hadiza's project, describing it as a "highly suspicious event."

In a statement by its Co-coordinators, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yusuf, BBOG said it is not involved in the fundraising, expressing shock at the use of its brand name conspicuously at the event.

"We state categorically that we are not party to the said event and have absolutely no information of its origin. We urge the general public to disregard attempts at linking our movement to this highly suspicious event," the group said.

The group said it has taken legal action against the organisers of the event.

dimeji akinloye