- Title: NIGERIA: Protesters keep hopes alive for kidnapped girls
- Date: 9th June 2014
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JUNE 08, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SITTING AND CHANTING "BRING BACK OUR GIRLS" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SITTING ON A MAT AND CHANTING "BRING BACK OUR GIRLS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SEATED AND LISTENING MAN ADDRESSING PROTESTERS PROTESTERS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) BLOGGER, JAPHET OMOJUWA, SAYING: "It's been about 54 days and it doesn't look like anything has happened. Actually since the abduction of the girls, a lot more worse things have even happened, so things are practically getting worse." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SITTING DOWN VARIOUS OF HADIZA USMAN ADDRESSING PROTESTERS PROTESTERS SITTING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTEST COORDINATOR, HADIZA USMAN, SAYING: "Our expectation as usual is for the girls to be rescued we are hopeful every day and every hour that these girls will be found and returned but at the same time as we go into the 9th week our hearts are heavy, we are very concerned it's a very huge milestone when you see it cropping into month 2 of the girls' abduction. It's a very heavy moment for us in this advocacy." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS LISTENING WIDE OF PROTEST VENUE WITH PROTESTERS
- Embargoed: 24th June 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAVTAAFDLD78A83FD7OELG4RJ0
- Story Text: Nigerians in the city of Abuja on Sunday (June 8) continued sit-in protests as the abducted schoolgirls remained missing for complete eight weeks.
More than 200 schoolgirls were taken from school in northeast Nigeria on April 14 by Islamic militant group Boko Haram.
The girls had gone to write exams.
Japhet Omojuwa is a blogger and social commentator.
"It's been about 54 days and it doesn't look like anything has happened. Actually since the abduction of the girls, a lot more worse things have even happened, so things are practically getting worse," he says.
Eight weeks since the girls were taken in the remote village of Chibok, little is known about their whereabouts.
Nigerian military once claimed to know where they are but ruled out the possibility of taking them by force as the girls may be killed by their captors.
Protest Coordinator, Hadiza Usman hopes there will be a break through in the coming week.
"Our expectation as usual is for the girls to be rescued we are hopeful everyday and every hour that these girls will be found and returned," she said.
Boko Haram wants to create a breakaway Islamic state in a religiously mixed Muslim and Christian country of 170 million people.
The Chibok kidnapping has drawn international attention to Nigeria and Boko Haram. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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