<<Print>>

About 100 Ghanaian mothers on Sunday, May 11 peacefully marched through some principal streets of Accra to show solidarity with despondent Nigerian mothers, whose children have been abducted by Boko Haram. They held placards some of which read �Bring Back Our Girls�, �Where are our sisters?�, �Every Child Counts� and �President Jonathan Do something now.� The women and other concerned fathers petitioned the Nigerian President to, as a matter of urgency, expedite action on the search for the girls. The women ended their march with a presentation of a petition signed by over 300 women to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan through Ambassador Ademola Oluseyi Onafowokan, the Nigerian High Commissioner in Ghana. Presenting the petition to Abraham T. Poko, an official at the Nigerian High Commission, Eugenia Tachie-Menson, a concerned mother, said Ghanaian women were unhappy with the abduction of over 230 Chibok schoolgirls in North Eastern Nigeria. �While the Nigerian government has suggested it was working to secure their release, we are deeply troubled that their safety is not guaranteed. �The fears of the Ghanaian women are reinforced by a recent video released on April 14th threatening to �sell� the 230 girls seized from their school, in Borno. The group therefore implored President Goodluck Jonathan to stop the unwarranted arrests of women and activists whose campaign efforts have helped to draw the world�s attention to the menace. Ms. Tachie-Menson noted that these activities, which the Nigerian government and security agencies, have tried to clamp down, had attracted the attention of the international community. �We urge that maximum effort is put into tracking down the criminals behind this and bringing them to justice after our daughters are speedily found and returned to their families. �We also want you to ensure there is adequate social support in place to resettle the girls. Girls have the inalienable right to be girls,� she emphasized. Mr. Abraham T. Poko, who received the petition, acknowledged the efforts of the women and pledged to relay the information to those at the helm to help resolve the problem. �We appreciate your concern and I want to tell you that your petition will be sent to the highest authority and demands taken into account,� he said. They took part in the march on Mothers� Day to show solidarity with the Nigerian mothers.