*Allegedly Without Parents’ Consent
*Girls, ‘Husbands’ Live Opposite Senator Ndume’s Maiduguri Residence
*Mum’s The Word From Govt House
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A human rights body, Centre for Justice on Religious and Ethnicity in Nigeria (CJREN), has accused Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, of superintending actions which led to the alleged forced marriage of 18 underage Chibok Christian school girls freed from terrorists’ captivity, to so-called repentant Boko Haram fighters.
The body also referred to four other Christian girls who were kidnapped in Gadaga district, Garin-Goge village, Fika Local Government Area (LGA) of Yobe State, allegedly suffering similar fate, and upon whom the state’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, part of which mandate is to resolve such matters, allegedly looked the other way.
In a strongly-worded petition to President Bola Tinubu over the alleged scandalous matters, the Centre demanded for justice and fairness for both sets of girls.
The petition dated 3 March, 2026 and signed by the Director General (DG) of the Centre, Rev. Kallamu Musa Dikwa, pointed out that justice has been done to a Muslim school girl from Jigawa State, Walida Abdulhadi Ibrahim, expressing great worry that similar justice was allegedly being denied the Borno and Yobe Christian school girls.
The contents of the petition raise mounting concerns over unconstitutional discrimination on religious grounds in some states in the country’s far North.
The petition also throws up worrying issues, some of which led US President Donald Trump to declare Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged discrimination and genocide against Christians –a development which led the global superpower to bomb terrorists’ hideouts in Sokoto State last December and from which the country should draw lessons.
Ibrahim had been in the protective custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja following allegations that she was abducted, held for over two years, and then forced to convert to Christianity by a DSS operative named Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi.
Following a joint investigation and immense public pressure, the DSS released Ibrahim on 25 February, 2026 and she was subsequently handed over to the Jigawa State Government, represented by Governor Umar Namadi, in Abuja.
Rev. Dikwa further alleged that the Borno State government even gave accommodation to the ‘repentant’ Boko Haram fighters with their “so-called wives”, pinpointing the location of the residence as being directly opposite Sen. Ali Ndume’s house on Damboa Road, Maiduguri, the State capital.
The petition, a copy of which was obtained by People&Politics, added: “We’re demanding for justice for underaged Christian abducted girls in Borno and Yobe States. Justice has been done to Jigawa State abducted Muslim school girl Walida Abdulhadi Ibrahim.
“Same justice must be done to 4 Christian girls that were abducted in Gadaga district, Garin-Goge village in Fika LGA, Yobe State, including (1) Cecilia Mathias (2) Veronica Mathias (3) Linda Mathias and (4) Jara David, respectively by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Yobe State.”
The petition further demanded that justice must also be done to the 18 Christian Chibok schoolgirls who were rescued in 2022/2023 by the military from Boko Haram camp, and subsequently handed over to Gov. Zulum.
He regretted that to date, the governor had allegedly refused to hand the girls over to their parents.
The petition stated: “As if that was not painful enough, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, singlehandedly went ahead and gave out the 18 Christian Chibok schoolgirls that were rescued, for marriage to the so-called repentant B’Haram terrorists.
“At the moment of writing this narrative, the Governor has given accommodation to the so-called repentant B’Haram husbands with their Christian Chibok girl wives in one house directly opposite Sen. Ali Ndume house in Maiduguri, at Damboa Road.
“Therefore, the same Constitution that has given the same right to release Walida Abdulhadi, this same Constitution must give the rights to release the above-mentioned names above.”
Lauding President Tinubu for his sterling qualities of fairness and constitutional religious neutrality, Dikwa said he believed he will order justice to be done in the two cases.
The petition added: “We know Mr. President will not allow our underaged Christian daughters to be abducted in the disguise of using so-called Islamic Sharia Jihad Laws.”
Dikwa also alleged that some ‘repentant’ Boko Haram fighters who were handed firearms to help keep the peace and fight criminality, were now rather deploying the weapons and “doing their worse.”
He wrote: “Still, on our demand for justice for all Nigerians, the so-called repentant B’Haram that were recently given firearms and deployed to some places, are doing their worse.
“Some of these groups are putting demand on the poor civilians including the commercial drivers to extort some money. Once you drag or refuse to do what they demand, you may end up in the emergency ward with bullet wound.
“What a paradox! And here we are saying ‘repentant B’Haram’. Thank You.”
Contacted by phone for official reaction to the Borno issue, spokesman to the State Governor, Bundi Abdulrahman, failed to respond as of press time. For days too, he did not respond to Short Message Service (SMS) forwarded to him.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Rev. Dikwa.
