President Not Sure When Chibok Girls Were Kidnapped?

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 presented Nigeria's annual statement to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The president addressed pertinent issues such as the insecurity in the country, the missing Chibok girls and the Ebola outbreak.

However, Jonathan said that the girls were kidnapped "over three months ago" when they were in fact abducted on April 14, 2014, more than five months ago.

According to Reuben Abati, the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jonathan said:

"Today's terrorism is vicious and aimless. Its consequences are extremely agonizing, marked by a tendency to annihilate victims, and completely destroy infrastructure and properties.

The involvement of foreign fighters has remained a common feature of terrorist groups - whether Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, Al Shaabab in Somalia, Boko Haram in Nigeria, or the newly emerging Islamic State (I.S).

This refocuses attention on the need to review present tools for United Nations peacekeeping operations,"

The president also told the assembly that the federal government would do everything possible to ensure that the Chibok girls are rescued and Boko Haram is stopped.

He continued:

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the countries and organizations that expressed solidarity with us, and have continued to support our determined efforts to free our daughters.

"Although it has been over three months since they were abducted, we have never relented in our efforts to set them safely free. Together with our partners, we are working assiduously to free our daughters and reunite them with their families.

"Let me underline today, that we shall not waiver until we end this mindless war on the innocent, and bring all the perpetrators to justice. We will triumph over terrorism,"

On Ebola, he said:

"While Nigeria was able to respond effectively to control the spread of the disease, the situation in Liberia and Sierra Leone requires sustainable, collective global action to contain.”

“Through the concerted efforts of our health care professionals, the World Health Organisation and our international partners, we have been able to contain the EVD and we can confidently say that Nigeria is today, Ebola-free.”

The Chibok girls were said to have been rescued on Tuesday, September 23 but the reports were denied by the Nigerian Defence headquarters after an earlier alleged confirmation.

The 2014 UN General Assembly convened on September 16 and is expected to run till October 1 2014. President Jonathan is however expected back in Nigeria today, September 25.