Message To Bring Back Missing Nigerian Girls Continues To Resonate In Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Nigerians in our community rally in an effort to gain more national support to find the kidnapped school girls. Twenty-seven days have passed since more than 200 girls were taken. The terrorist group Boko Haram abducted them.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on the plea for more U.S. intervention.
People WJZ spoke with say because the Nigerian government acted slowly, they fear time is running out.
It's a story that's created a national outcry from Nigeria to Baltimore, where dozens of people gather outside of St. Anthony of Padua Church to plead for the return of more than 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped nearly a month ago from their school by the militant group known as Boko Haram.
As many celebrate Mother's Day, these Nigerian mothers say they can only imagine how painful the holiday is for hundreds of moms thousands of miles away.
"It's sad news. What is happening there is a heartbreaking event," said Charity Nwakuba.
Nigerians tell WJZ the number of girls taken is more than half the size of an African village. And with the late response from the Nigerian government, they fear time is running out.
"I call my siblings every day to see the news there. But every day is the same news that we get from there. Nothing has been done," Nwakuba said.
With little hope for a major response from the government, people are turning to their faith.
"We have invited a lot of Nigerian churches around to come and join us here today to offer this prayer to God," said Anthony Abiamiri, priest.
The violent acts of the Boko Haram group may be new to Americans, but the terror they imposed throughout Nigeria is well known to natives of the country.
"They bombed about five buses and people died. Boko Haram has been going from home to home catching men, women and children while they are sleeping, cutting off their heads. So this has been happening," said Anthony Anichukwu, priest.
Nigerians say because of their history with Boko Haram, they can only imagine the horror the girls are facing as each day passes.
"We know that those girls are really going through a great deal of hell, and the parents are really, really in anguish every day," said Chairman Clement Anyadike.
Officials with the Nigerian government believe the girls may have already been moved out of Nigeria and sold as sex slaves.
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