Fathers of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are continuing to hope that they will get their daughters back and have said that the girls are “in the hands of God.”
The Christian Post reports that Kristen Wright, director of advocacy for relief group Open Doors USA, recently met with the fathers of the kidnapped girls and spoke with them about their hopes and fears.
"One of the fathers, when asked, 'Where do you think your daughter might be?' he said, 'She is the hands of God.' It was a sentiment that was echoed by all of the parents that I met with. They are not going to think about any other reality," Wright told The Christian Post.
Wright also stressed the importance of the international community’s continued concern for the kidnapped girls. Although the kidnapping garnered media attention early on with the #bringbackourgirls campaign, media attention has largely died down, leaving the families of the girls feeling alone and abandoned.
There are rumors that Boko Haram, the Nigerian terrorist group that kidnapped the girls, is beginning to weaken. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to eradicate Boko Haram from Nigeria.
Recently, one of the girls managed to escape the terrorists and reported on the group’s activities. She said that some of the girls had been killed for their faith, while others were alive, but many were pregnant by the terrorists and sick with diseases.
The Chibok fathers have hope that Buhari will ultimately succeed. They are not giving up hope that their girls will return to them.
“I can see personally from spending a day with these men the toll that the kidnapping of their daughters has taken on their lives, and the lives of their families,” Wright said. “One man even told me, 'I would prefer to not even live my life.' But he added, 'We have to abide by the word of God, we have to have patience. God promised that all that happens is known by Him.' And he said, and most of the fathers agreed with him: 'We have faith that our girls will come home.'"
Publication date: October 22, 2015
