Saturday, 15 April 2017
President
Buhari yesterday penned a piece in commemoration of the 3rd year that
over 200 girls were abducted from Chibok. Read the article below...
On
April 14, 2014, Nigeria suffered one of the worst crimes committed
against its citizens - the abduction of schoolgirls from Government
Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, by the vicious terrorist and
insurgent group, Boko Haram.
Upon
the inception of this administration in May 2015, it will be recalled
that this militant group occupied no fewer than 14 Local Government
Areas in the North East of the country and posed a serious threat to
other parts by unleashing fear and mayhem through the use of surprise
and suicide bombing.
The menace
of this terrorist group was a great challenge to the resolve of our
administration to implement the Change Agenda. We, therefore, pledged to
reverse the situation, which constituted a threat to the sovereignty of
the country. We were determined to secure the release of the Chibok
girls and others forcefully abducted from their homes and communities
and retake the occupied territories.
Determined
to secure the freedom of the abducted girls and recover lost
territories, this administration gave the necessary political and
logistical backing which energised gallant members of our armed forces
and other security agencies to overrun the headquarters of Boko Haram in
the Sambisa Forest and scatter the terrorists from their strong base.
Today,
the group has been degraded and is no longer in a position to mount any
serious, coordinated attack, other than sporadic suicide attacks on
soft targets. Even at that, their reach is very much confined to a small
segment of the North East where they had previously held sway
unchecked. Nigeria and indeed the entire world, must however, recognise
that terrorism has no borders and remains a growing concern which calls
for collective efforts to curtail.
I,
therefore, call on all Nigerians and residents in the country, to
remain extra vigilant and report any suspicious element or group to the
security agencies. We cannot afford to let down our guards. Under my
watch, no group will hold the country to ransom. On the Chibok girls, we
have had reason to celebrate the return of twenty-four of them and
thousands of other Nigerians who were forcibly abducted by the
terrorists. As a parent, I am eternally grateful to God that some of the
girls were found alive and have been reunited with their families.
Government is doing all within its powers to reintegrate the freed girls
to normal life.
Furthermore,
Government is in constant touch through negotiations, through local
intelligence to secure the release of the remaining girls and other
abducted persons unharmed. My special appreciation goes to the parents
and families that have endured three years of agony and waiting for the
return of their children. I feel what you feel. Your children are my
children. On this solemn occasion, my appeal is that we must not lose
hope on the return of our remaining schoolgirls.
Our
intelligence and security forces, who have aptly demonstrated their
competence, are very much equal to the task and absolutely committed to
the efforts to find and return the schoolgirls and others abducted by
Boko Haram. I also thank Lake Chad Basin countries, friendly nations and
international partners, who at various points in the last three years
have offered their support for Nigeria.
Like
I have repeatedly said, the Federal Government is willing to bend over
backwards to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls. We have
reached out to their captors, through local and international
intermediaries, and we are ever ready to do everything within our means
to ensure the safe release of ALL the girls. I wish to reassure the
parents of the Chibok girls, all well-meaning Nigerians, organisations
and the international community that as a government, we are unrelenting
on the issue of the safe return of our children.
I
trust God that soon, our collective efforts will be rewarded with the
safe return of our schoolgirls to their families, friends and their
communities.
Attachments area
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