Posted on: 05:14 Fri, 15 Jan 2016



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 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 anything to
jeopardize the lives of the girls.”

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
January 14, 2015