Hopes Dashed for Nigerian Schoolgirls Release

Six months after they were abducted from their boarding school in Chibok, freedom remains elusive for 219 Nigerian schoolgirls. There will be no joyous family reunion this week.

Nigerian&government officials suggested the girls would be released this week, but once again the hopes of loved ones and the Nigerian nation were dashed.

Officals said there was a negotiated ceasefire with Boko Haram--the girl's captors. Then they said the ceasfire would likely lead to the girl's freedom.

But the ceasfire was violated and negotiations collapsed. Few people know what really happened and whether the talks between the government and the Islamic terror group actually resumed this week in neighboring Chad.

Some Nigerians believe government officials are simply playing politics--they've learned a valuable lesson from their American counterparts: you can win more votes come election time if you "keep hope alive!"

But as the days pass, it becomes less likely that the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls (most of them are Christian) will ever return to their homes and families. Most are believed to have been sold into sex slavery to warlords, or trafficked to other militant groups thoughout the region.

Some of the girls are believed to have been used by Boko Haram for sucide bombings.

Watch the latest from Nigeria analyst, Professor Peyi Soyinka Airewele of Ithaca College. She suggests it may be time for progressives and Muslims to admit that religion is motivating Boko Haram and other Islamists to violence in Nigeria.

Also, take time to watch another video appearing here. It is from Human Rights Watch and is startling and revealing. It features testimonies from kidnapped women.

Professor Airewele on Nigeria & Boko Haram:

Human Rights Watch Kidnapped Women Video: