Nigeria’s stolen girls - What New York Times wrote about GEJ

Below is a New York Times editorial publishedyesterday May 6. Y'all
need to read this. Find below..

Three weeks after their horrifying abduction in Nigeria, 276 of the
more than 300 girls who were taken from a school by armed militants
are still missing, possibly sold into slavery or married off. Nigerian
security forces apparently do not know where the girls are and the
country's president, Goodluck Jonathan, has been shockingly slow and
inept at addressing this monstrous crime.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Children's Fund said Boko Haram, the
ruthless Islamist group that claimed responsibility for the
kidnappings, abducted more young girls from their homes in the same
part of the country in the northeast over the weekend. The group,
whose name roughly means "Western education is a sin," has waged war
against Nigeria for five years. Its goal is to destabilize and
ultimately overthrow the government. The group's leader, Abubakar
Shekau, said in a video released on Monday, "I abducted your girls. I
will sell them in the market, by Allah."This is not the first time
Boko Haram has attacked students, killing young men and kidnapping
young women. The security situation in Northeast Nigeria has steadily
deteriorated. In the first three months of this year, attacks by Boko
Haram and reprisals by government security forces have killed at least
1,500 people, more than half of them civilians, according to Amnesty
International. Until now, there has been little response to the
violence, either in Nigeria or internationally. But the kidnapping of
so many young girls, ages 12 to 15, has triggered outrage and ignited
a rare anti government protest movement in Nigeria.

On Sunday, after weeks of silence, Mr. Jonathan admitted that "this is
a trying time for our country," and he said that Nigerians were
justified in their anger against the government and appealed for
international help. The reaction of Mr. Jonathan's wife, Patience, was
stunningly callous; according to state news media, she told one of the
protest leaders, "You are playing games. Don't use school children and
women for demonstrations again."

Boko Haram's claim that it follows Islamic teachings is nonsense. A
pre-eminent Islamic theological institute, Al-Azhar in Egypt,
denounced the abductions, saying it "completely contradicts the
teachings of Islam and its tolerant principles." Although Boko Haram
is believed to number no more than a few hundred men, Nigerian
security forces have been unable to defeat them.

Mr. Jonathan, who leads a corrupt government that has little
credibility, initially played down the group's threat and claimed
security forces were in control. It wasn't until Sunday, more than two
weeks after the kidnappings, that he called a meeting of government
officials, including the leader of the girls' school, to discuss the
incident. There is no doubt the intelligence and investigation help
President Obama offered on Monday is needed.

The kidnappings occurred just as President Jonathan is about to hold
the World Economic Forum on Africa, with 6,000 troops deployed for
security. That show of force may keep the delegates safe, but
Nigeria's deeply troubled government cannot protect its people,
attract investment and lead the country to its full potential if it
cannot contain a virulent insurgency.