Abducted school girls: First Lady asks women to stop protesting

Patience Jonathan has asked women to stop protesting over the abducted Chibok girls, Daily Trust reports. Mrs Jonathan expressed her frustration yesterday evening at the unwillingness of the Borno state first lady and other Borno state women to work with her on the missing girls. She said she can't be crying more than the bereaved.

According to Mrs Jonathan who burst into tears as she expressed her displeasure, she said she had called for a meeting with first ladies of the various states as well as some borno state officials to enquire on how the girls were kidnapped and find a way out but was suprised to see that some first ladies attended but the first lady of the state were the unfortunate incident happened did not honour her invitation. Continue...

First Ladies of  Nasarawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe, Benue, Abia and Akwa Ibom States attended the meeting as well as Borno State Commissioner of Police, Commissioner for Women Affairs, the principal of Chibok Government Secondary School, the chairman of Chibok Local Government Area, the divisional police officer in the area and the troops on duty when the girls were abducted.

A visibly disappointed Mrs Jonathan said Mrs Shettima was being unconcerned over the girls' abduction. She accused the Borno state women of playing games with the whole kidnapping story.

"Before all these killings, I called and told the first lady of Borno State to let us come together. She answered me yes, but when the kidnap happened, I called her, she did not answer me. I invited her, she did not turn up even up till today. No woman will fold her arms when her house is on fire. Today my house is on fire.

"Before last Friday, I called her and she promised to attend the Friday's meeting here. Bit to our greatest surprise, she sent her commissioner for women affairs. Also today, she sent her commissioner for women affairs. She is the mother of Borno State. She is the first mother of these missing girls. I am their grandmother. She is not coming out. All Nigerian women are calling her. If she is not concerned and she says she doesn't want her people to be safe, then it is left to her. If you tell us you are not crying, why should I cry more than the bereaved. If I cry more than the bereaved, the world would ask me a question.

"If after today, Borno women say we should not help them, then Nigerian women, don't demonstrate again. If you demonstrate and police do you anything, you are on your own. Borno women are playing games. Nigerian women should not go out for demonstration. Don't use school children for demonstration again. Borno women are not ready for cooperation"

"People are dying. How can you play politics when you see your fellow human beings dying. Nigerian women, I beg you to support me. Why we will join our husbands to kill others. We want the killings to stop. If we don't get to know the whereabouts of our daughters, the next thing is they (Boko Haram) will get to us. I am not accusing anybody. My own is let us stop killings and kidnapping. Let us put a stop to this.

"We don't know what might happen. We don't wear bullet-proofs. I am not exempting my self or my husband. If I am found guilty, let me go instead of blood to flow. If our constitution is the problem, let them amend it. Today's meeting will not end because the abducted children are still not out. If you say I should go and sleep, I would go and sleep. But if you say we should move forward to see the end of this, we would go forward", she said.