Parents of Chibok school girls abducted in Borno State in 2014, have mourned the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari while renewing calls on the Nigerian government to intensify rescue efforts for the 87 girls who remain in captivity.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Association of the Parents of the Missing Chibok Girls and signed by Yana Galang and Zannah Mohammed, the group reflected on Buhari’s role in the fight against insurgency and acknowledged his administration’s contribution to the rescue of some of their daughters.

“When President Buhari took office in 2015, we held onto cautious hope as some of our girls were returned during his tenure, and for those reunions and efforts, we are quietly grateful,” the statement read.

Naijaonpoint understands that 87 of the 276 girls kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in April 2014, are still unaccounted for.

“But for many of us, our hopes were ultimately dashed, as 87 of our daughters are still missing,” the parents association stated.

The grieving parents used the opportunity of Buhari’s passing to urge President Bola Tinubu’s administration and security agencies to act with greater urgency.

“We call on the Nigerian government to move beyond rhetoric and intensify efforts to bring the remaining girls home. The journey is not over. Our call remains: Bring Back Our Girls, every single one,” the statement added.

They described the prolonged separation as a “deep wound” that has left many families in anguish, saying their pain has been made worse by the slow pace of updates and declining national attention on the matter.

“As we mourn our former leader, we reflect on a painful chapter in our national history,” the parents said.

Naijaonpoint reports that the abduction of the schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014 sparked global outrage and gave birth to the viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign championed by global leaders, celebrities, and civil society groups.

While dozens of girls were rescued through military operations and negotiations, others escaped captivity on their own.

Many remain missing more than a decade later.