As the nation marks the 1,000th day of the abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday assured all stakeholders that the remaining girls will soon be reunited with their parents.
President Muhammadu Buhari and VP Yemi Osinbajo with 21 Released Chibok girls
The girls were abducted by members of the Boko Haram sect while writing their Senior School Certificate Examination in April 2014.
While the military had rescued some of them, 21 others were released last year based on a negotiation between the Federal Government and their abductors.
In a statement on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President recommitted the Federal Government to securing the release of the girls.
Buhari said, “We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones.
“Three of them have been recovered by our diligent military, while the freedom of 21 others was secured through engagement with their captors.
“We are hopeful that many more will still return as soon as practicable.”
The President reiterated his pledge, pronounced many times in the past, that government would not spare any effort to reunite the girls with their families.
“I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight.
“Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days.
“The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged.
“Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to,” the President said.
On the occasion of the 1,000 days, Buhari commended all who have been in the vanguard for the recovery of the girls, both nationally and internationally.
“Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute. Chibok community, Nigeria, and, indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality,” the President stressed.
