'I share your pains,' Buhari assures Chibok girls' parents

chika ebuzor

April 15, 2016 9:23 AM

Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, said Buhari was speaking on the second anniversary of the kidnap of the girls.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks during a news conference after meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Abuja, Nigeria March 2, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed the hope that with the total commitment of the security agencies and the support of the international community, the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls will be eventually rescued.

A statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, said Buhari was speaking on the second anniversary of the kidnap of the girls.

President Buhari assured parents and relations of the affected girls that he ``frequently reflects on the ordeal of the captives in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists and shares the pain of their continued absence from home.’’

According to the President, 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.

Buhari 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, therefore, expressed the hope that the Chibok girls would ultimately be rescued and reunited with their families as well.

The President assured the parents of the girls that the Federal Government and security agencies would continue to explore all possible options for the safe return of the girls.

He, however, 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 Nigerians, religious and civil organisations, as well as the international community for the continued sympathy, support and prayers for the return of the girls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that Boko Haram insurgents abducted more than 200 girls from their school in Chibok, Borno, on April 14, 2014.

chika ebuzor