A play Amina which highlights the plight of the girlchild, reminded Nigeria of the many girlchild students of Chibok, Dapchi, and Bethel Baptist High School who have spent years in the lairs of their abductors.
In reminding the nation to ensure the return of these girls including Leah Sharibu, the Amina production team used it’s platform to encourage support of the survivors of the abduction attacks to live their dreams.
Speaking after curtain call, foreign-based Human Rights Lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, noted that it was sad the difficulties encountered by the survivors pre and post the terrorist attacks on their communities and school.
A former schoolmate of Leah Sharibu, whose name remained anonymous for security reasons, lost her father during the insurgent group attack of her community, prior to its attack of her alma mater, the girls school in Chibok in 2014.
Today, she has graduated from secondary school, but requires aid to continue her educational dreams of becoming a nurse.
Orphaned adolescent, Ene Faith Ebiaga’s family was killed by insurgents in Barkin Ladi five years ago (2018); whilst Sarah survived triple tragedy of – a terrorist attack on her community, and the orphanage where she lived thereafter, in addition to the raze down of the IDP Camp where she had also lived for a time.
“I am from Gwoza. Our village was attacked by Boko Haram in 2014, and so we fled to the mountains border between Nigeria and Cameroon. That meant that I had to drop out of school. From the mountains, we trekked to Cameroon where we lived for 6 months, then trekked back to Nigeria, at which point we had the help of a driver who drove us to Yola, where we lived for some months at an IDP Camp. In 2021, the camp burnt down, and we had to move to an orphanage which was also attacked,” recounted Sarah.
“She survived Boko Haram, refugee, and another attack at an orphanage in Benue. It is sad the many things Nigerian refugees suffer, and the sufferings of many Nigerians, which a great number of our people within the country are ignorant of.
“I am happy to use this platform advocating the support of the girl-child to enlighten Nigerians and encourage them to support these girls. I believe we should support the girl-child to live a happy life, and be whatever they want to be.
My mother wanted to be a doctor, but her uncle refused to assist in her education but guess who treated him when he was severely sick, my mother.
“I also had a sister who was the only one who wanted to be an actress in a home full of doctors and lawyers. But my family supported her dreams. She died whilst studying Theatre Arts in school, where she was doing brilliantly well. I am glad that we allowed her follow her passion because in the end she died happy, doing what she loved,” said Ogebe.
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