“We were not just taken. We were torn.”
With those haunting words, Amina Ali Nkeki, now 28, begins her testimony—one that echoes through the hearts of every Chibok girl who has lived to tell the story.
April 14, 2014. A date that changed the lives of 276 schoolgirls forever.
A date that became a scar in the heart of Nigeria.
Eleven years later, more than sixty of the survivors, now under refuge and education in American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State, gathered in a solemn ceremony to remember the past, honor the missing, and call for justice.
“For us,” Amina said, “this day is not just a date on the calendar. It is a wound, a flame that refuses to die. They wanted to silence our voices—but see now—we speak. Louder. From Chibok to every corner of the world.”
Their voices carried through the remembrance event—firm, emotional, unyielding.
Some stood in the flesh, others were remembered in spirit. For many, this day is both a symbol of survival and a sanctuary of memory.
Grace Dauda, one of the survivors, shared her painful experience. She broke her leg during the abduction and was forced to endure days and nights exposed to rain and floodwaters, unable to move. “I thought I would die,” she said quietly. “But somehow, I’m here. And I will never stop calling the names of my sisters.”
Many of the girls present are at different stages of rehabilitation—studying, healing, growing—but all remain united by one promise: never forget.
Officials including the representative of #Bringbackourgirls and President of the American University of Nigeria, attending the gathering echoed their call, urging the federal government to increase its commitment—not only in rescuing the girls still in captivity but also in supporting those who have returned.
“We wait. We speak. We cry. We pray,” Amina said. “We will remember until every one of our sisters returns home. And for those who are no more, may their gentle souls rest in peace.”
As they stood together—some shedding quiet tears—they lit hope. They lit resistance.
And above all, they lit a promise: They will never be erased.
