Leader of protests over Nigerian schoolgirl abductions detained
Activists involved in the protests over the abduction of 200 or more girls in Nigeria say that the leader of these protests, Naomi Mutah, has been detained on the order of the president’s wife, First Lady Patience Jonathan.
Mutah represents the Chibok community, from which the schoolgirls were taken several weeks ago. Mutah herself arranged the Chibok protest outside parliament in the country’s capital, Abuja. The protestors – and many other Nigerian citizens – believe that the government has not taken enough action in attempting to locate and save the missing girls.
According to a BBC News article, the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram has recently admitted fault in the abduction in a video released by the AFP news agency. There are still believed to be about 230 girls missing, taken directly from their school on March 14. The admittance of guilt by Boko Haram, coupled with the detainment of Mutah, has prompted even further criticism of the Nigerian government.
First Lady Jonathan, who is a powerful presence in the Nigerian political scene, apparently ordered the arrest of Mutah after she was sent by the mothers of the abducted girls to a meeting called by the First Lady. However, the First Lady does not officially have the constitutional power to order arrests. A presidency source said that Mutah was detained for falsely claiming to be the mother of one of the missing girls.
Several of the other protestors, however, report that Mutah was asking the government to “bring back our daughters,” referring to the “daughters of Nigeria” in a larger sense.
According to the AP news agency, another community leader, Saratu Angus Ndirpaya, alleges that First Lady Mrs. Jonathan had previously accused the activists of falsifying the abductions to make the government look bad. Later, according to Ndirpaya, the First Lady accused them of supporting Boko Haram.