Two months after over 200 school girls were kidnapped from their boarding school in Northern Nigeria by Boko Haram, the world is still calling for action to bring them back… And it started with a hashtag that went viral – #BringBackOurGirls
23rd April 2014 – I remember that day very clearly, I’d just arrived in Nigeria that afternoon. Feeling quite privileged having dinner at an upmarket Lekki hotel, a news bulletin came on Sky News that a number of girls had been abducted from their boarding school during the night. This was shortly after the announcement about the bombing in a bus station close to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. I remember thinking “What’s going on with Nigeria?!”
On my return back to the UK, I was invited to attended a #BringBackOurGirls rally which was organised by the London Met Student’s Union Nigerian committee. The peaceful protest took place on the 9th May 2014. Many #BringBackOurGirls protests have been taking place around the world showing this is not a Nigerian issue – it’s a Humanity issue.
And it was there I was proudly an activist amongst 100’s others in front of the Nigerian High Commission in central London. We demanded our girls back!
All pictures © Kai Lutterodt. Credit photographer