As the country commemorates the 1,000th day of the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state, President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday said that the federal government is committed to securing the release of the remaining girls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents.
The President said this in a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
“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.
“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 statement quoted the President as saying.
The statement said the President commended all the people that have been in the vanguard for the recovery of the girls, both nationally and internationally, stressing that “someday soon,” the country would rejoice over the return of the remaining girls.
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 statement quoted the President as saying.
