Charles Alasholuyi Still Fighting to #BringBackOurGirls, by Jonell Williams, 2nd Period

     Charles Alasholuyi, a father-of-three and marketing professional has not given up on the kidnapping of Nigeria's Chibok school girls by Boko Haram militants. Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language. Alasholuyi has been posting photos of himself holding a sign reading, "#BringBackOurGirls" and below a count of the days that have passed since their disappearance in April 14, 2014.

     He tells the press he feels "he has a moral obligation to continue posting his daily photos until the girls are returned.". Recently, he has participated in a 10 kilometer run through Lagos supporting the cause, and has worked with organizations to hold the Nigerian government responsible to find the girls and demanding their safe return. He has also reached out to his government and other nations about the Boko Haram threat and appealed to them "to nip Boko Haram's insurgency and their senseless abductions in the bud" together. He has hope now for both the new president elect, Muhammadu Buhari to address the issue properly, and that his daily photos and commitment will one day bring the girls back.
     Abduction to gain political influence by extremists is an effective tactic to instill fear and a sense of helplessness in a society. An example of this would be the Iran Crisis in 1976 when 52 Americans were taken hostage by Iranian revolutionists. The knowledge that there was no real idea of what was going on scared the public speechless, and after 444 days the hostages were let go. But, that is not the case for the 200 Nigerian schoolgirls who has been missing for over a year, 365 days today. Both situations have had the same impact on the public and the loss of attention on the subject is shameful but common. Which leads people like Charles Alasholuyi, who has consistently and diligently kept focus on the abductions to continue support and not settle back down after getting riled up for a couple months. People like him are one of the reasons we keep fighting for public safety world wide and collectively stay focused on bringing our girls back home.    

1. main article: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/africa/irpt-bringbackourgirls-anniversary/index.html

2. additional reading: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27293418