We must continue our support for Nigeria’s government in their efforts to bring the kidnapped schoolgirls home

On 14^th April, more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, in north-eastern Nigeria, by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, prompting a widespread international outcry.

Seven months later, many of these girls have still not been able to return to their homes and families. The hell they are still enduring can hardly be imagined.

Here in the UK, there is cross-party support for Britain to continue to provide support – alongside our allies – to the Nigerian authorities in their efforts to tackle Boko Haram.

So far that has included training and advice for military personnel, and the deployment of RAF surveillance aircraft to help identify militant camps.

Whilst the kidnappings in Chibok focused much-needed global attention on the vulnerability of girls in north-eastern Nigeria, their plight risks falling from the headlines, despite the fact that Boko Haram continue to pose a serious threat to security in the region.

Boko Haram – which translates as “Western education is forbidden” – has abducted 500 women and girls since 2009, and it is reported that they were targeted because of their faith or simply because they attended school.

Last month, it was reported that a further 60 women and girls were kidnapped from two towns, and residents reported that suspected Boko Haram gunmen went door-to-door looking for young women and girls.

The recent testimonies collected by Human Rights Watch from victims who escaped or were released from Boko Haram show the appalling extent of their violent, and brutal conditions in the Boko Haram camps where women and girls are held. Human Rights Watch have also raised concerns that only the girls who were kidnapped from Chibok have received pyscho-social counselling, whilst victims taken in other abductions have not received such support.

The breakdown of stability in north-east Nigeria has made life intolerable for many of the area’s civilians, but the response from Nigerian security forces to Boko Haram’s terror campaign has also raised concerns amongst some activists. There are worrying reports that in their determination to defeat Boko Haram, the Nigerian security forces may be committing human rights abuses.

For example, allegations have been made that the Nigerian authorities have used torture and excessive force against those suspected of links with Boko Haram, and that some suspects have ‘disappeared’, with their families unaware of their whereabouts.

There needs to be a credible independent investigation into these allegations of brutality against suspected Boko Haram militias by the security forces. And in the UK’s ongoing discussions with the Nigerian government, Foreign Office Ministers should also use every suitable opportunity to highlight the importance of the Nigerian authorities both acknowledging and investigating allegations of human rights abuses by any state security forces.

Last month, the Nigerian authorities announced they had agreed a ceasefire with Boko Haram, which was supposed to see the Chibok schoolgirls safely returned.

But this agreement was shattered by horrific news that a suicide bomber, wearing a school uniform, set off a backpack full of explosives in the middle of a school assembly, killing 47 people, and leaving 79 others wounded.

Last week it was reported that Boko Haram had seized Chibok, with many residents fleeing the town, before the Nigerian authorities took back control two days later.

Just because the media’s attention may have moved elsewhere, we must not assume that life for people living under Boko Haram’s brutal rule has become any better.

The UK must continue helping the Nigerian government to improve the security situation in the north-east of the country, and preventing further kidnappings and attacks.

We all felt outrage when 200 schoolgirls were abducted from Chibok, and so we must continue to support and advise the Nigerian government in their urgent efforts to bring them home.