by Olatunji Saliu
ABUJA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Some parents of the 110 abducted schoolgirls of Dapchi in northern Nigeria for the first time gathered in the nation's capital Abuja to publicly express sadness.
As the world marked the International Women's Day on Thursday, the parents staged a peaceful march to remind the Nigerian government of the tragedy that befell their daughters on Feb. 19, when terror group Boko Haram stormed an all-girl college in Dapchi, taking away at least 110 students.
Seventeen days after the incident, the parents traveled more than 833 kilometers to Abuja, by road, to express their worries as hopes of finding the schoolgirls begin to fade.
Wearing black robes to signify their mournful mood, the parents flooded the main entrance of the National Assembly, a gigantic building that houses the Nigerian Senate and the parliament.
Some were seen weeping uncontrollably and some singing dirges. Some lamented how the abduction has cut short the dreams of the young girls that led them to seek Western education.
Many of the parents said their hopes for the government to bring back the girls are beginning to fade.
"I am calling on the government to bring back the hope of seeing my daughter again," said one mother who spoke in tears.
"My life has been brought to a standstill. I can barely do anything without thinking of my missing daughter. When shall we see again?" the mother, simply called Hauwa, said in the local Hausa language.
The 2018 International Women's Day is themed "Press For Progress." But some parents said no progress in their lives seemed possible if their daughters do not return soon, safe and sound.
"I sent my daughter to school because I wanted her to make progress in life. But what progress can she press for now? As a mother, how can I move forward in life without knowing the whereabouts of my daughter?" said Zainab Mohammed, a 47-year-old mother whose only daughter is among the missing girls.
In Dapchi, the local authorities have hired at least 300 Muslim clerics to pray every day for the safe return of the schoolgirls.
The special prayers will continue until all the abducted schoolgirls return safely, Goni Bukar, a national lawmaker representing Dapchi and neighboring communities, said in the Nigerian parliament.
The abducted girls' ages range from 11 to 19 years, according to the Nigerian government.
The Nigerian military said they have deployed air assets, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms, in search of the missing schoolgirls.
So far, the Nigerian air troops had already flown hundreds of hours while conducting the search for the girls, the military said.
The country's air force chief, the police chief, and heads of other paramilitary agencies had also relocated to Yobe to superintend the search for the girls.
The tragedy of the missing girls has brought back memories of a similar occurrence four years ago, when more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok.
Only 107 of the Chibok girls have been rescued or returned amid ongoing government negotiation with Boko Haram.
The United Nations believes Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 innocent people since 2009 through terror attacks.
