Florida rep. Frederica Wilson (D) slammed terrorist group Boko Haram over the weekend, informing that “over 100 girls are still captured by a terrorist organization who kidnapped them straight from their classroom over five years ago.”
In 2016, the lawmaker sponsored a measure that mandated the State and Defense departments to establish a five-year plan that would provide aid to the Nigerian government and other international partners that are fighting Boko Haram and the threat they pose.
In a statement, Wilson commented that “Boko Haram has kidnapped, killed. Abused and sold, thousands of innocent people throughout the years. The group that started out as a non-violent effort has transformed in the last 10 years into a radical terrorist organization, threatening innocent lives.”
Wilson also stated that “over 100 girls are still missing. With their ‘Western education is sin’ mantra, they are targeting women who seek education. We deeply believe that girls should be able to live and go to school freely, without the threat of a terrorist organization looming overhead.”
Last month, on the five-year anniversary of the “abduction of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls by the terrorist group Boko Haram,” Wilson held an event at the Capitol Hill to discuss the matter. At the event, she pushed for attendees and others to “wear something red Wednesday,” which would send a “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.”
Although rep. Wilson and President Trump do not see eye to eye on many political issues, President Trump met with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and vowed to contribute in defeating Boko Haram.
During the meeting, President Trump stated that he wished to sell helicopters to Nigeria because “these new aircrafts will improve Nigeria’s ability to target terrorists and protect civilians.”
