The curtains at Aso Rock Villa, Nigeria’s seat of power, will be closed against incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan on May 29. The mega opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will thereby emerge as the new ruling party with the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, taking over the reins of governance. But it will not be a tea party because of over a dozen challenges ahead of him.
Chibok Schoolgirls’ abduction saga
On the night of April 14, 2014, about 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State. The dreaded terrorist sect, Boko Haram, later released a video on May 5, 2014 claiming responsibility for the abduction which drew national and international condemnations. There was a measure of confusion that trailed news of the abduction.
While initial reports had said 85 students were kidnapped in the attack, the military authorities released a contradictory statement claiming 100 of them had been freed, a statement that was later retracted. Over one year after their abduction, the schoolgirls remain in the captivity of the insurgents despite several assurances of rescuing them by the outgoing PDP-led government. One of the dashed hopes raised by government over their rescue came via a purported truce with the insurgents