The Presidency has reacted to the claims by the BringBackOurGirls advocacy group that the President Muhammadu Buhari
administration is not taking the missing Chibok girls’ rescue seriously.
The group, championed by a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, had accused the government of being
lackadaisical in the handling of the girls’ release.
Over 200 girls were kidnapped from their school dormitory in Chibok town, Borno state by the Boko Haram sect in April
2014 although some of the victims have been reportedly freed in recent times.
Speaking in defence of the government, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu,
said if the military had any clue as to the whereabouts of the abducted girls, they would have moved to rescue them.
“The President is conscious always about the fact that terrorism in Nigeria is part of a global phenomenon. Since coming
to office, his response to it has been firm and well considered,” Shehu said in a statement.
“President Buhari will never make bogus promises or play to the gallery. It is misleading of anyone to preach that the
Chibok girls are within an easy grasp. If the military under the President knew where they are held, they will bring the
Chibok girls home today.
“The Presidency is open to renewed cooperation with the BBOG group, international bodies, religious groups, social
workers, and all others who are assisting in the field to ensure that those who have so far been rescued from Boko Haram
captivity are given the support they need to make a full recovery and be reintegrated fully into the society.”
He called on the BBOG and other advocacy groups to also support the government in ensuring that the families of the
kidnapped girls are assisted in anyway to deal with the situation.
International media like the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Aljazeera and CNN have extensively covered the Chibok Girls stories made possible by the group’s social media campaigns and demonstrations.
Source: Pulse.ng
