President Muhammadu Buhari has assured parents and relations of the kidnapped Chibok girls that he reflects on the ordeal of the captives in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists and shares the pain of their continued absence from home.
As the parents marked the second anniversary of the kidnap of the girls yesterday, President Buhari affirmed that as a parent and leader of the country, he understands the torment, frustration and anxiety of the parents and will not spare any effort to ensure the safe return of the girls.
The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said he believed that with the commitment of the Federal Government, the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies as well as the support of the international community, the girls will be eventually rescued.
He noted that thousands of persons, mostly women and children, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, had already been rescued and reunited with their families.
He shared the hope of the parents that the girls will ultimately be rescued and reunited with their families.
The President assured the parents that the Federal Government and security agencies will continue to explore all possible options for the safe return of the girls.
President Buhari urged the parents to continue to exercise patience and understanding as the government works diligently to ensure that the girls return home unharmed.
The President thanked all Nigerians, religious and civil organisations, and the international community for their continued sympathy, support and prayers for the return of the Chibok girls.
Parents of some of the abducted 219 Chibok school girls wept yesterday at the school premises when they received a joint federal government and Borno State delegation that visited to mark the second anniversary of the abduction.
They read a poem to remember the girls and urged the government to release the report of the fact-finding panel set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In his statement, President Muhammadu Buhari told the parents: “I share your pains.”
The delegation to Chibok took off from Maiduguri and travelled three and a half hours through Damboa, under a heavy security cover, to Chibok by road.
They passed through many communities that are devastated by the Boko Haram insurgents.
The team made up of ministers, state government officials, federal and state lawmakers and others was led by Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima.
Others are: Minister of Environment and leader of a Federal Government’s delegation, ýHajiya Amina Mohammed; Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing Mustapha Baba Shehuri; a founding member of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG)group and now Presidential Adviser on Social Protection, Mrs Maryam Uwaisl, another founding member of the BBOG, Hadiza Bala Usman, Senate Majority Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume; Senator Binta Mashi (Adamawa State) and ýofficials from the state government.
The leader of an association of parents of the girls, K.K Yakubu, read an emotional poem written by the parents to express how much they miss their daughters, hoping they return.
The poem reads: “We don’t know whether you are dead or alive, whether you have eaten or not, whether you are forced to do things you wouldn’t want to do or not but we miss you and pray for you”.
The parents demanded that the committee’s findings be made public so that they will know if anyone has questions to answer. The committee submitted its report in 2014 but the then government did not make the report public.
Shettima told the parents: “We now have in President Muhammadu Buhari someone with very strong commitment to finding your daughters and ours. We are jointly working very hard and we won’t stop until they are reunited with you. I have daughters; I know exactly how you feel.”
Environment Minister Mohammed said the President sent a delegation to Chibok to show his affection for the traumatised parents.
“He wants your daughters back and he wants all other captives back, he wants to end this insurgency and he is doing everything to achieve these important objectives that top his priorities since assumption of office,” the minister said.
Ndume and Mashi corroborated the minister’s remarks.
Mashi addressed the parents with Biblical scriptures trying to strength the faith of the majority Christian parents. Mashi, a Christian from Michika in Adamawa State, ruled out religious motives on the abduction. “Insurgents have no regards for religion; they attack anyone, no matter your religion. Those who founded the BringBackOurGirls coalition are mostly Muslims, like Hadiza Bala Usman who came all the way from Kaduna State and she is here with us to stand by you,” she noted.
Hadiza Bala Usman broke down in tears when it was her time to address the parents. “I know exactly how you feel” she said, sobbing.
Mrs Uwais, also a founding member of the BBOG, urged the parents to be strong. “We have daughters; we know what it means to have a daughter abducted and this is why we will stand by you,” she told them.