We'll rescue Chibok girls alive - President assures

President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated that the rescue of the more than 200 abducted Chibok girls is a top priority of his government.

The President stated this on Wednesday in his speech at the parliament of the European Union in Strasbourg, France.

He said, “It may interest you to know that in a recent meeting I had with parents of the Chibok Girls, I assured them that government would not rest until all the girls are rescued alive and reunited with their families.

“I remain fully committed to this pledge.

“Since my assumption of office in May last year, we have re-organised the Nigerian Armed Forces and repositioned them to deal decisively with the Boko Haram terrorists.

“Indeed, all the Local Government Areas that were hitherto under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States in the North-Eastern flank of Nigeria, have been recaptured.

“The Internally Displaced Persons are gradually returning to their communities. The Federal Government is committed to rebuilding schools, hospitals and other vital infrastructure destroyed by the fleeing terrorists.

“Currently, the activities of Boko Haram have been reduced to the Sambisa Forest and their capacity to launch major offensives has been degraded.

”Boko Haram has now resorted to attacking soft targets such as markets, mosques and churches using innocent under-aged hapless children to detonate locally made Improvised Explosive Devices.”

On April 14-15 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in Chibok town, Borno State by dangerous sect, Boko Haram.

READ:‘Don’t lie about Boko Haram fight,’ Ezekwesili tells FG

Efforts of the military and the government have not yielded any positive result since the kidnapping, and according to multiple reports, the whereabouts of the girls are still unknown.

It is believed that the terrorists forced the girls into marriage and scattered them across neighbouring Nigerian countries - Cameroon, Chad, Benin.