An International Nobel peace laureate, Miss Malala Yousafzai has accused Nigerian and world leaders of not doing enough to help free 219 schoolgirls abducted by members of Boko Haram a year ago at the government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State of Nigeria.
“In my opinion, Nigerian leaders and the international community have not done enough to help you,” she said in a letter to the teenagers, on the eve of the first anniversary of their abduction.
“They must do much more to help secure your release. I am among many people pressuring them to make sure you are freed,” she added, referring to the girls as “my brave sisters.”
Yousafzai’s letter, which she said was “a message of solidarity love and hope” comes as events, including marches, prayers and vigils, were being held to mark the girls’ 12 months in captivity.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has claimed they have all converted to Islam and been “married off.”
Malala, 17, also wrote of her own experiences at the hands of militants in her native Pakistan. She was nearly killed by the Taliban in October 2012 for insisting that girls had a right to an education.
She recovered and became a global champion of girls’ rights to go to school.
A fund set up in her name would ensure that the girls will continue their education after their release, she said, urging them not to give up hope.
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