Powerful Ladies of T&T (PLOTT), an association of female business executives, will hold a candlelight vigil and an hour of silence for the abduction of 230 girls by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria. In a release yesterday, the group, which has been meeting every Saturday since the murder of attorney Dana Seetahal, said their hearts went out to the grieving mothers and families of the 230 Chibok Government Secondary School Girls in Nigeria. “Like the pursuit of justice in T&T, the safe return of these girls is taking way too long. We’re also appalled by the gall of the terrorist groups operating in Nigeria, having learned of the kidnapping of a further 20 women by the same militant Islamic group, Boko Haram.”
The group urged T&T to pay attention to the present and likely consequences of continued inaction at home. “We are killing our nation’s children; allowing the rogue elements of society to take advantage of their innocence, their hopes and dreams, destroying generations while we remain silent, too terrified to stand up to the root cause of their untimely demise. This has to stop,” it added.
Tomorrow, the group will gather to mark 40 days since the murder of Seetahal and 60 days since the abduction of the 230 Nigerian schoolgirls. The group’s decision to hold a silent gathering for the 230 Nigerians was in response to a call from the organisers of the “bringbackourgirls” campaign for increased global support. PLOTT will be dedicating tomorrow’s gathering to justice for Seetahal, the safe return of the 230 girls to their grieving mothers and families and all grieving mothers and families who lost their children. “We have countless examples of this in T&T. This is unacceptable,” it added.