Chibok Parents Still Hopeful of Daughters' Release 3 Years After Abduction
Parents of the Chibok girls taken by Boko Haram radicals remain hopeful that their children will be freed three years after their abduction.
As Nigeria commemorated the third-year anniversary of the kidnapping of 276 girls from the Government Girls' Secondary School, relatives of those who remain captive held on to hope that the girls will be released.
So far, 57 of the girls have escaped their captors. Some jumped from the truck that spirited them away while others hid in the dense bushes of the forest before making their escape.
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Enoch Mark, father of two girls who are still missing, told Al Jazeera, "I lost my two daughters. I lost my peace. I lost my job. Time will tell. They will be free one day one time. I'm still hopeful. I'm still hopeful."
Association leader of the Chibok girls Yana Galang said she still mourn for those who remain missing.
"Only a few parents got their daughters back. Over 100, including myself and my husband, are still groaning for... those who were not found," she told CNN.
In October 2016, 21 girls were released following the successful negotiations between the government and the Boko Haram militant group. Nigerian presidential spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu confirmed in a tweet that the girls were in the custody of the Department of State Services.
Others remain in captivity.
One the of the girls who escaped said she will continue to speak about the horrors of the night they were abducted to help bring the remaining missing Chibok girls back.
"I will never forget about them, and I will never stop speaking until they come back," said Sa'a in a press conference held to remember the anniversary of the abductions.
Meanwhile, Nigerian President Muhamadu Buhari expressed his commitment to press for the release of the remaining missing girls.
In a statement to mark the anniversary of the abductions, Buhari conveyed his determination to do everything in his power to assure that they would eventually be freed.
"Like I have repeatedly said, the Federal Government is willing to bend over backwards to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls," he stated. "We have reached out to their captors, through local and international intermediaries, and we are ever ready to do everything within our means to ensure the safe release of all the girls."
Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo confirmed that talks are continuing with the militant group for the release of the remaining captives.
