Development specialist, NGO expert, and human rights activist Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, Founder and CEO of Murtala Muhammed Foundation, today announced the release of a timely collection of narratives and a call-to-action for the restoration of the equilibrium for Nigeria’s Chibok community following the abduction of 276 young girls from their school in Chibok in 2014, by the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
Assembling testimonies of loss and hope from the young girls’ families, beginning in 2015 when none of the girls were yet to be found, The Stolen Daughters of Chibok chronicles the devastating impact of their abduction alongside the trauma their families continue to face. Rather than a tale of plight, the collection seeks to evoke empathy and inspire action as 96 girls remain in captivity – nine years after the abduction.
Commissioned by the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, the book is a collective effort featuring a team of experts, including journalists and psychologists, who have come together to create a comprehensive account and thorough examination of this tragedy. The remarkable volume of narratives contains an unprecedented number of personal accounts that draw attention to an ongoing crisis where women and girls are neglected, violated, and excluded on the grounds of their gender and social status.
The volume features powerful photographs captured by the award-winning photographer Akintunde Akinleye, interviews with the Chibok families documented by the book’s creators and edited by Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode herself, essays and reflections on violence, gender, and more from writers, novelists, academics, public figures, including Professor Wole Soyinka, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, South Africa’s first lady, Graça Machel-Mandela, Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II and more. The result is a heart-rending portrayal of the cost of this tragedy, which has touched the lives of communities in Nigeria and across the globe.
The Stolen Daughters of Chibok is also a tribute to the resilience and courage of the Chibok families, who have refused to relinquish hope despite adversity. This book should be read by anyone who cares about the fate of these brave girls and their families and anyone who believes in the transformative power of literature.
Commenting on the book, Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, said: “More questions than answers have emerged from our collective attempts to reckon with the facts and severity of the Chibok disaster. As we approach the 9th anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping, what remains clear is that there is still no route that brings women and girls from conflict to safety. Women and girls in Nigeria and globally deserve security, education, and a better future – I will make it my mission to work with partners to establish this as an urgent priority.”
Dr. Muhammed-Oyebode has committed the proceeds from the book to the development of Chibok and other Boko Haram-devastated communities with an emphasis on education and the restoration of livelihoods.
Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, Founder and CEO of Murtala Muhammed Foundation, is an entrepreneur, development specialist, international non-governmental organisation (NGO) expert, and human rights activist. Specialising in women and girls’ initiatives, Muhammed-Oyebode is a member of the Women’s Leadership Board of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program, an advisor and country expert to the University of Pennsylvania Law Global Women’s Leadership Project, and an advisor to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), as a member of its senior working group on Northern Nigeria.
Muhammed-Oyebode is a co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, formed after the abduction of over 200 girls from their school premises in the Chibok village of Borno State, Nigeria.
She holds a doctorate in law from SOAS, University of London, with a focus on gender and conflict. an LLM in Public International Law from King’s College, University of London, and an MBA Finance from Imperial College, University of London. She is a member of both the Nigerian Bar Association and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Akintunde Akinleye is an award-winning photojournalist whose pictures centre around photo activism and narrative subjects. His photography has traversed Nigeria’s postcolonial history and reflects the nation’s growth story. A 2015 New York Times noted that his work brings “kinetic landscapes to life”. Akinleye was the first Nigerian photographer to receive the prestigious World Press Photo prize in 2007 and was also awarded the National Geographic All Roads award in 2008. Akinleye’s works have been featured in TIME Magazine, Vogue, and the New York Times, among other titles. Akinleye contributes to Reuters and is currently conducting doctoral research in Visual Anthropology, focusing on the dynamic complexities of framing, visual material culture, and representation at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Murtala Muhammed Foundation is one of Nigeria’s largest charitable foundations with operational expertise across the six key geopolitical zones of the Federation and programs that address the most significant economic and social challenges of our time. As a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of Africans, the Foundation focuses on engendering self-reliance and fulfilment by working tirelessly on policy and advocacy for issues that impact ethics, equity, good governance and economic empowerment, encouraging education, development, and providing disaster relief.
