By Peter Omopo
Abuja | July 22, 2025 — Parents of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 have expressed sorrow over the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, while urging the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to secure the release of the 87 girls still missing.
In a statement issued Tuesday and signed by Yana Galang and Zannah Mohammed on behalf of the Association of the Parents of the Missing Chibok Girls, the families acknowledged Buhari’s role in facilitating the release of 103 girls during his presidency — the highest number recovered under any Nigerian administration.
“When President Buhari took office in 2015, we held onto cautious hope. Some of our girls were returned during his tenure, and for those reunions and efforts, we are quietly grateful,” the parents said. “But for many of us, our hopes were ultimately dashed, as 87 of our daughters are still missing.”
The group emphasized that the figure of the remaining girls had been verified by the Murtala Muhammed Foundation.
They also called on the federal government to match words with action and bring closure to one of the country’s longest-running tragedies.
“As we mourn our former leader, we reflect on a painful chapter in our national history,” the statement continued. “The journey is not over. Our call remains: Bring Back Our Girls — every single one.”
The 2014 abduction of 276 students from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, shocked the world and sparked the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign, drawing international attention to the insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast.
Former President Buhari, who died on July 13 in a UK hospital, was buried on July 15 at his residence in Daura, Katsina State. The Nigerian Senate is set to hold a special session in his honour on Wednesday.
