Friday 30 May 2014
Presidential Committee visits Chibok at last.
The trip was the first by senior government
civilian officials
A presidential fact-finding committee on the
abduction of over 250 female students from
their hostel at Government Secondary School
Chibok, on April 14, finally visited the town
Thursday, a week after suspending the trip.
The trip was the first by senior civilian officials
since the abduction seven weeks ago. Military
commanders had visited the town in April.
A planned visit by President Goodluck Jonathan
was suspended abruptly amid security concerns.
The chairman of the presidential committee,
Ibrahim Sabo, who led a three man entourage to
Chibok Thursday, said the panel was in the
town to sympathise with the parents and to
assure them that even though his team was
received amidst wailing by some of mothers of
the abducted girls, the parents will rejoice soon.
“I am sure we will be here rejoicing with you
when the girls regain their freedom,” he said.
Mr. Sabo also informed the gathering which
assembled at the GSS Chibok, where the girls
were taken captives that President Jonathan was
considering all options available to have the
girls freed.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, Mark Enoch,
pleaded with the government to do everything
within its powers to rescue the girls.
“Since the Chief of Defence Staff had
announced to the whole world that the Army
knows where our daughters are kept, all we can
beg them is to try and rescue them alive,” Mr.
Mark whose two daughters are among the
abducted girls said.
PREMIUM TIMES’ Sani Tukur, who is in
Chibok, said over 100 parents, as well as the
management of the school, gathered as early as
9 a.m. outside the town’s motor park to receive
the government team.
The crowd later moved to the secondary school.
There was heavy security presence in and
around Chibok with some of the military van
bearing the United Nations number plates.
The Ibrahim Sabo-led committee shelved its
earlier plan last week to visit Chibok despite
being in Maiduguri for almost a week.
The reschedule was because “the security
people said they could not guarantee their
security,” one source said.
Mr. Sabo denied that claim.[Premium Times]
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