Press Releases

April 14 will mark the five-year anniversary of the abduction of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls by the terrorist group Boko Haram. While most of the Chibok girls either escaped or have been released by their captors, 112 remain missing.

For the past five years, Congresswoman Wilson has arduously engaged her congressional colleagues in a social media campaign to ensure that the Chibok girls were never forgotten and to raise awareness of the havoc that Boko Haram continues to wreak in Nigeria and throughout the Lake Chad region. By reaffirming their commitment to the girls' safe return on every Wear Something Red Wednesday, they have sent a powerful message to both the United States and Nigerian governments about the importance of doing whatever is necessary to defeat Boko Haram and help rebuild more than one million shattered lives.

On Tuesday, April 9, Congresswoman Wilson will host a forum to recognize the five-year anniversary of the kidnapping, remember those still being held captive, and celebrate the efforts of the former Chibok girls, now young women, who are rebuilding their lives and planning bright futures.

Speakers include Patience, one of the students kidnapped in April 2014 who is currently enrolled in a college bridge program at Dickinson College; Dr. Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob, a visiting scholar at Dickinson, who has worked with individuals and communities displaced by Boko Haram; Dr. Margee Ensign, president of Dickinson College and former president of the American University of Nigeria; Congresswoman Wilson and members of Congress. Updates will be provided as they occur.

The event will take place from 2-3 p.m. in 2020 Rayburn House Office Building. Members of the media are welcome to attend. Please send questions and RSVPs to joyce.jones@mail.house.gov.