Women in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and UK Protest Boko Haram Killings

Many women dressed in black simultaneously took to the streets of Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and the UK to protest the murder of over 50 school children in Yobe State and other deaths in Borno by Boko Haram insurgents.

In Abuja, the women gathered at the Unity Fountains and embarked on a peaceful walk to the Nigeria Human Rights Commission (NHRC), carrying placards with various inscriptions, including ‘Enough of the Killings’and ‘Nigerian Women Mourn.’

The deputy director of the Legal Office of the executive secretary for NHRC, Harry Ogwuche Obe met with them.

The group’s spokesperson Ijeoma Izuora explained that the march taking place all around the world was to display their anger at the injustice and encourage the government to do more.

“Is Boko Haram bigger than the government? Does the government not know what to do? If our husbands and children are all killed, what happens to us?” she asked.

In Lagos, the president of Women Arise Initiative, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, said that the women gathered were tired of the killings, and called for more action to halt the trend, saying, “This debilitating act must stop.”

In Port Harcourt, the angry protesters were led by members of the  National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ)  and former commissioners for women affairs in the state. In the United Kingdom, protesters marched through the streets to protest against the wanton killings by the sect.