…Orders Fresh Probe Into The Abduction Of Chibok Girls
By Sadiq Umar – Muhammadu Buhari has ordered investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction of 219 girls from Government Secondary in Chibok, Borno State, even as he assured that he would continue to do his best to secure their release.
The move is coming after two years of fruitless search for the missing Chibok school girls abducted since April 2014.
Mr. Buhari took over from former President Goodluck Jonathan on May 29, 2015, with a promise to rescue the missing girls.
In a recent media chat, the President had said that the military has won its war against the Boko Haram terrorists, prompting angry reactions from the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners who then requested to meet with him in Abuja today.
A statement by the Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, after the meeting said the President has ordered fresh probe into the abduction saga.
National Security Adviser Babagana Munguno, will soon name members of the panel that will investigate the matter, the statement said.
It said the probe will seek, among other things, to unravel the remote and immediate circumstances leading the kidnap of the girls as well the other events, actions and inactions that followed the incident.
At the meeting with the parents of the Chibok girls and the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners at the State House, Abuja Thursday, the President assured that he was doing his best and will continue to do everything possible to rescue them and re-unite them with their families.
“I assure you that I go to bed and wake up every day with the Chibok girls on my mind.
“The unfortunate incident happened before this government came into being,” he was quoted as saying.
“What have we done since we assumed office? We re-organized the military, removed all the Service Chiefs and ordered the succeeding service chiefs to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency.
“In spite of the terrible economic condition we found ourselves in, we tried to get some resources to give to the military to reorganize and equip, retrain, deploy more troops and move more forcefully against Boko Haram.
“And you all know the progress we have made. When we came in Boko Haram was in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. Boko Haram has now been reduced to areas around Lake Chad.
“Securing the Chibok girls is my responsibility. The service chiefs and heads of our security agencies will tell you that in spite of the dire financial straits that we found the country in, I continue to do my best to support their efforts in that regard.
“This is a Nigeria where we were exporting average of two million barrels per day at over 140 dollars per barrel. Now it is down to about 27 to 30 dollars.
“You have been reading in the press how they took public funds, our funds, your funds and shared it, instead of buying weapons. That was the kind of leadership I succeeded. That was the kind of economy I inherited.
“God knows I have done my best and I will continue to do my best,” Mr. Buhari said.
At the meeting with the Presidents were Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai and the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd).
Speaking at the meeting, General Olonisakin told the campaigners that in the last three months the military has liberated more than 3000 people kidnapped by Boko Haram in the North eastern part of the country.
He said the military had the ability to rescue the Chibok girls, but added that “intelligence is delicate and we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the lives of the girls”.
