President Muhammadu Buhari has approved an investigation into the theft of
the 219 gIrls from Government Secondary in Chibok, Borno State.
The panel to investigate the incident which happened in April 2014 is soon
to be named by the National Security Adviser, NSA, General Babagana
Munguno.
The investigation will seek to, among other things, unravel the remote and
immediate circumstances leading the kidnap of the girls by Boko Haram
terrorists as well the other events, actions and inactions that followed
the incident.
This came to light just as the President, in Abuja, assured parents of the
Chibok girls that he has been doing his best and will continue to do
everything possible
to rescue them and re-unite them with their families.
Speaking at a meeting attended by some parents of the abducted girls,
representatives of the Chibok community and members of the Bring Back Our
Girls movement at the Conference Hall of the State House, President Buhari
said that he remained fully committed to his pledge to do all within his
powers to save the girls.
“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.
“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,”
President Buhari said.
The President was accompanied by the 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).
In his remarks, the Chief of Defence staff told the meeting 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 that 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.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari on Thursday stormed out of his meeting with
parents of the abducted Chibok girls and the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG)
movement, according to information by the group, as journalists were
barred from the Banquet Hall, after the arrival of the president.
Earlier, there was drama when the parents and the group were told that the
president would not meet with them but they insisted on seeing the
president, who had promised, on July 8, to rescue the abducted
schoolgirls.
The president had sent Aisha Alhassan (Mama Taraba), minister of women
affairs, as his representative but Alhassan lambasted the protesters for
not giving the government prior notice of their coming.