#BuniYadiHeroes: Fresh on our minds 3 years on
25 February 2017
Today marks exactly 3 years since schoolboys of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, our 29 #BuniYadiHeroes were murdered in their school on the night of 25 February 2014.
This is our third memorial to honour their memory and to seek redress on their behalf, their families, and their school, as well as the broader issues of Endangered Education. We are extremely saddened and disappointed at the federal and state governments’ ill-treatment of these young ones even in death.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and colleagues of our #BuniYadiHeroes, we commiserate again them and all other families across the country who have lost children in similarly violent attacks. It matters to our Movement- Bring Back Our Girls – that children who chose education over ignorance in particularly risky neighborhoods were not accorded the security needed to preserve their right and lives. It is why our Movement has persisted in demanding the rescue of our Chibok Girls whose tragedy of abduction followed two months after the Buni Yadi boys gruesome murder by terrorists who are rampaging against education.
In our statement at the second memorial of their last year (see here: http://www.bringbackourgirls.ng/?p=2502) we helped clarify the exact number of schoolchildren that passed on that day as well as provided their names and classes at the time. We also raised pertinent issues, none of which has been addressed one full year on.
This notwithstanding we honour our #BuniYadiHeroes and continue to raise the issues that must be addressed, for which we have vowed not to stay silent about:
1. What has happened concerning FGC Buni Yadi at a time that peace is said by the federal government to have returned to the area? Is the school open and the children back to school and staff back to work?
2. What has happened to the families of the victims– dead and wounded school boys? Was any compensation and care given? What is the status of all the children of the school after it was closed down?
3. How have the federal and state governments responded to all other schools that were attacked in Potiskum, Yobe state, Niger state, Mubi, Adamawa state, etc?
4. What is the status of the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) overall? Is it still a priority for this administration? How is the FG working with state governments and private school proprietors to safeguard our school children physically in the light of record number of kidnappings in schools across the land?
5. What is the status of the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of Safe School Initiative funding for Government Secondary School, Chibok?
Education is clearly under attack in Nigeria. We must unite to counter this and ensure that our children are not only safe but feel safe to be in school, and must never be put in a position to decide between being safe and being in school. The life of each one of our children is precious. The constitutional duty to lead our society in living that Value is deposited with the Federal Government. Unfortunately, it has fallen short of this important role of ensuring the dignity of life of the Nigerian, especially our children and women. This must change.
Safeguarding our children’s quest for education is a role that the President and the Federal Government must lead all levels of governance and our society at large to prioritize going forward. That is the best demonstration of the dignity we accord to the 29 Buni Yadi Federal Government College school boys who represent the symbol of the many school children we have failed to protect as a people. Today is a good day to start to make the lives of our children count. Today is a good day to send a strong signal to the enemies of knowledge that we shall protect the right of our children to pursue and excel through that bedrock of human progress– Education.
Thank you.
Signed:
For and on behalf of #BringBackOurGirls
AISHA YESUFU
OBY EZEKWESILI
SCHOOLBOYS MURDERED AT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COLLEGE, BUNI YADI ON 25 FEBRUARY 2014
1. Abba Adam (SS 3)
2. Abbas Ali Mohammed (SS 2)
3. Abbas Ibrahim Abdul (SS 1)
4. Abiodun Josef (SS 3)
5. Abdu Sherif Ibrahim (SS 1)
6. Abdullahi Adamu (SS 3)
7. Abdulmalik Mohammed (SS 3)
8. Aliyu Musa (SS 3)
9. Awal Adam (SS 1)
10. Bamai Ali Goni (SS 3)
11. Bashir Lamido (SS 1)
12. Bashir Mai Gana (SS 3)
13. Hedima Likita Mari (JS 3)
14. Ibrahim Ali (JS 2)
15. Ibrahim Sommy (JS 2)
16. Isa Elisha (JS 3)
17. John Peter (JS 1)
18. John Wando (JS 3)
19. Mohammed Abdullahi Daya (JS 3)
20. Mohammed Ali Hassan (SS 1)
21. Mohammed Aminu Abubakar (SS 1)
22. Musa Yalti Buba (SS 1)
23. Mustafa Abubakar Ali (SS 3)
24. Shuaibu Ali (SS 3)
25. Solomon Kwmta (SS 1)
26. Suleiman Mohammed Gussa (SS 3)
27. Usman Abba Kawagu (JS 2)
28. Usman Mai Saleh (SS 3)
29. Yahuza Ali Auta (SS 3)